116 Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society Vol. XVI 



A SUMMARY OF THE FOOD HABITS OF NORTH AMERICAN 



HEMIPTERA. 



By Harry B. Weiss, New Brunswick, N. J. 



i'he Hemiptera, which are without exception sucking insects, 

 exhibit some diversity in food habits, and it is the purpose of this 

 paper to call attention to these in a very brief and general way. 

 Compared with other orders of insects, the Hemiptera have never 

 been favorite subjects for study, and detailed information about 

 many species is lacking. In the table which follows the family 

 food habits only have been indicated, and as a rule these have 

 been based mainly on the activities of a comparatively few mem- 

 bers. The figures referring to the number of species in each 

 family were obtained from Van Duzee's " Catalogue of the Hemi- 

 ptera of America North of Mexico." This catalogue does not 

 include the Aphididac, Coccidac and' Alcurodidac, and such fam- 

 ilies are not considered in the present paper. 



Hemiptera. 



Family. No. species. Habits. 



Scutelleridae 26 Feed on vegetation, probably 



many are predaceous. 



Cydnidae 45 In sand and mud banks ; on 



vegetation. 



Pentatomidae 164 Varied ; predaceous ; mostly 



plant feeders. 



Coreidae 124 Plant feeders. 



Aradidae 59 On fungi, under bark, f ungivo- 



rous ? 



Neididae 8 Plant feeders. 



Lygaeidae 187 Plant feeders ; some may be pre- 

 daceous. 



Pyrrhocoridae 22 Plant feeders ; some predaceous 



forms. 



Tingididae 47 Plant feeders. 



Enicocephalidae 2 Predaceous. 



Phymatidae 12 Predaceous. 



Reduviidae 113 Predaceous. 



