60 Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society Vol. XI 



Apterous male : Fusiform, pronotum tumid, divided by distinct sutures 

 into three segments ; mesonotum with a deep suture behind middle, di- 

 rected anteriorly at each end ; genital segment prominent ; abdominal seg- 

 ments subequal. Velvety gray black in color. 



Long., 1.9 mm. ; lat., .7 mm. 



Morphotype : Apterous male, from Staten Island, same date. 



Apterous female: Orbiculate, genital segment truncate; gray and black 

 coloring, much more marked and definite than in male. 



Long., 1.6 mm. ; lat, i.i mm. at widest part. 



Morphoparatype : Apterous female, Staten Island, N. Y., June 3, 1905. 

 Nine other paratypes of both sexes and forms from Westfield, N. J., Yap- 

 hank, L. I., and Staten Island. 



In all the underside of the head, pro- and mesosternum are yellowish, 

 as well as the coxje, trochanters and greater part of femora. 



This species has appeared in the writer's papers as pulchella 

 Westwood, from which it may be separated, aside from being 

 smaller by having joint i of antennje longer than 2. The former, 

 so far as is known, is only Antillean in distribution. 



It is perhaps the most abundant of our native Microvelias, and 

 it may always be found in large colonies on the matted Lemna 

 on still ponds. It is just as predaceous as its larger congeners 

 and is most frequently found in the wingless form, although the 

 fully winged is not rare. It begins to breed on emergence from 

 its winter quarters, and lays its eggs end-to on the underside of 

 the duckweed leaves with the head toward the edge, in the usual 

 gelatine. The nymphs emerge in 8 to 13 days, and after four 

 molts reach the adult in about 16 days minimum, or 24 days from 

 the &gg to the adult, which would allow for eight generations in a 

 summer. One female may lay several batches of eggs ; her 

 progeny may be found in various instars at the same time. 



Attention is directed to the unusual number of molts, as the 

 general rule in Heteroptera is five. 



Microvelia strata n. sp. — Head comparatively short and broad ; eyes 

 round, rather prominent; antennae short, rather stout, not much longer 

 than head and thorax taken together, joint i stoutest, 3 thinnest, 2 shortest, 

 4 longest, fusiform, 3 shorter than 4 and subequal to i, which is longer 

 than 2. Pronotum not much produced, rounded behind; humeri promi- 

 nent. CoUum yellowish with narrow black median line ; suture before 

 middle of thorax grayish pilose. Hemelytra not so wide as abdomen, 

 corium and clavus milk-white at base, a white patch in the middle cell. 

 Legs comparatively short and stout, tibiae straight in both sexes. Sub- 

 parallel in shape. 



