135 



more or less dark fuscous suffusion. Tke hind wings of both 

 sexes of meyricki are darker fuscous than those of blackhurni. 

 Some of the scales in the patagia of meyricki are tipped with 

 fuscous, not so in blacJcburni. (Full description of moth and 

 caterpillar, and life history published elsewhere.)* 



PAPERS READ. 



Biologrical Notes on the Hemiptera of the Hawaiian Isles 

 No. 1. 



BY G. W. KIRKALDY. 



The classification of the Hemiptera has, in the past, been 

 based entirely (^) upon characters afforded by the imago, so 

 that it is not surprising that the Hemiptera remain, in that 

 respect, in a very unsatisfactory state. 



The Ontogeny of a living thing is an epitome of its Phylo- 

 geny, though this may sometimes be partially obscured, among 

 Insects perhaps less in an exopterygote, paurometabolous 

 Homomorph, as, e. g., a Hemipteron, than in an endopterygote 

 homometabolous Heteromorph, such as a Lepidopteron (^). 

 It is therefore remarkable that the usually easily reared Hemip- 

 tera have been neglected in this wise to a greater extent than 

 any of the larger Orders of Hexapoda (^), neglected so greatly 

 that a biologic note on any Hemipteron save a destructive pest 

 is a matter for happy surprise. 



This is all the more remarkable when it is considered that 

 the form of the ova and the manner of their deposition and the 

 colours, patterns and structures of the nymphal instars, are in 

 themselves profoundly interesting and that they also yield 

 characters of generic or specific value. 



In former times, the adult wingless forms of certain Hemip- 

 tera were rejected as being immature ; of recent years, nymphs 

 have been mistaken for adults and relied upon for the creation 

 of genera ! for example, Budaeus and Critohulus in the Geocor- 



*Bull. Ent. H. S. P. A., V. p. 24 (1907). 



(1) Except in the Sternorhynchous Homoptera. 



(2) In many Diptera, this recapitulation is exceedingly rapid, and 

 probably greatly obscured. 



(3) Easily reared under sufficiently natural conditions, but, in these 

 Islands, it is almost impossible to rear-up, at sea-level, from ova or 

 young nymphs, bugs and hoppers inhabiting the mountain forests. 



