BUGS. 281 



sternum, a broad, common yellow band covers most of the corium, while the greater 

 part of the hind femora, and the middle of each segment on the connexiva are bright 

 red. Two large yellowish spots are also more or less developed upon the base of the 

 venter. It is a large and conspicuous species, measuring about an inch in length, 

 which inhabits Virginia, and all the States further south, extending to southern Texas. 

 By means of intervening varieties we are now able to place the black-legged Mexican 

 fonn, and that with red bands upon the femora from New Granada, as local varieties 

 of the species belonging to the United States. 



Closely following these we meet with the sub-family Piratina, composed of nar- 

 rower forms, with the head well drawn out in front of the eyes, the antennas 

 stout, tapering towards the tip, a transverse, impressed line behind the eyes, a some- 

 what bell-shaped prothorax, divided into two portions by a transverse constriction, 

 and with impressed lines, especially upon the front lobe. The femora are stout, the 

 legs short ; the tibial cushion is very large, and the anterior coxse are lengthened. 

 Several common forms occur here, the most widespread of which are the two species, 

 Melanolestes picipes and M. abdominalis. The former is black, with piceous legs and 

 antennsB, while the latter has the sides and sometimes also the whole upper surface of 

 the abdomen red. Both are common, beneath stones and rubbish, in the Atlantic and 

 Gulf regions of the United States, and a few specimens have been captured in Mexico 

 and California. They are active, blood-thirsty insects, and iniiiot a severe wound 

 upon the hand of the incautious collector. 



Sirtlienea carinata is another form, narrower than the preceding, but quite note- 

 worthy for its rather elegant appearance and gay colors. It sometimes measures nine- 

 tenths of an inch in length, has a pitch-black ground color, with a long red spot at the 

 base of each wing-cover, and more or less of the same color on the sides of the abdo- 

 men, while the legs are honey-yellow. It is less common than either of the foregoing, 

 and appears to be at home chiefly in the states south of New York. 



The genus Rasahus has numerous representatives in various parts of sub-tropical 

 and tropical America. Our only species is the R. bignttatus, which has not yet been 

 found north of Virginia. It seems to be common in Florida and Texas, and has also 

 been found in California, Mexico, and Cuba. Its ground color is chiefly dark brown, 

 more or less pitch-colored beneath, with the legs, margins of the abdomen, the rostrum, 

 and basal-joint of the antennae honey-yellow ; while there is an orange arc at the base 

 oi the wing-covers, and a round spot of the same color near the base of the mem- 

 brane. It is one of the predatory forms which lurks on the branches of trees and 

 bushes in quest of insect prey; and measures about three-quarters of an inch in 

 length to the tip of the wing-covers. At least a dozen species of these insects inhabit 

 Mexico, Central America, and Brazil, agreeing pretty generally with the above in the 

 black or brown color of the surface, and having varied markings of yellow or orange. 



The sub-family Apiomerina constitutes a large grouj) in America, of which several 

 species inhabit the United States. One form only, Apiomerus crassipes, is widely 

 distributed here. It is a broad, robust, hairy form, with a stout, thick head, large, 

 round eyes on the sides, about half-way between the base and tip, a deep, transverse 

 depression back of the eyes, and the front bent down. The sides of the abdomen are 

 broadly rounded ; the legs are stout, hairy, and the tip of the shanks thickened. Its 

 color is black, polished on the head, thorax, abdomen, and legs, and the sides of all 

 the large regions of the body, excepting the head, are bright red ; the tip of the scu- 

 tellum is also red. It commonly measures about two-thirds of an inch in length, and 



