62 PLATE CCCLXXXI. 



Naucoris Cimicoides is an inhabitant of the water, where it fubfiits 

 by preying on a variety of other infefita, which it attacks and pierces 

 with its formidable, acutely pointed probofcis, and extracts their moif- 

 ture in the fame manner as the bug, or cimex tribe. The habits of this 

 animal are fimilar to thofe of the nepas or water Scorpions, among 

 which Linnaeus places it, though not in our mind with fufficient rea- 

 fon : we are perfuaded they ought, on the contrary, to conftitute two 

 diftincl genera. Geoffrey was of this opinion : he feparated our infeft 

 from the nepae, and referred it to his new genus Naucore, or Naucoris*, 

 and Fabricius follows the example of GeofTroy in this particular in his 

 Ento?jiologia Syjiematica. It is a ftrong, and pretty evident charac- 

 teriftic of the two genera Nepa, and Naucoris, that the firft has not 

 the leaft appearance of a lip to the mouth, and the other has one very 

 vifible and diftincl; : — an advanced lip of a rounded form -f. 



This infect is not common. Our fpecimens were taken in Kent. 

 It is well known as an European infect, though not as a Britifh fpecies. 



* liifi. Abreg. des Infecles, cjj-c. 

 t The fpecies of the Naucoris genus from this circumftance might be extremely well 

 diftinguifhed by the trivia! Englifh name of Round-Lipped Water-Scorpions among the en- 

 tomological collectors in this country ; the Nepae are fimply Water Scorpions. 



PLATE 



