No. 34-] HEMIPTERA OF CONNECTICUT: OCHTERIDAE. 39 1 



Family OCHTERIDAE. 

 (Pelogonidae.) 



By J. R. DE LA TORRE-BUENO. 



The family characters serve to separate this, the only genus of 

 the family known so far in North America. 



Ochterus Latreille. 

 (Pelogonus Latreille.) 



These little semiaquatic bugs are dark in color, generally a vel- 

 vety black with vague bluish markings on the elytra and flavous 

 spots on the margins of the thorax and elytra. They live among 

 the scanty grass and weeds about damp ground, such as the edges 

 of ponds or streams. They are very quick and lively in their 

 movements, making little abrupt flights from place to place, and 

 skipping about unexpectedly. When undisturbed, they walk about 

 quite steadily and sedately. The structure of their beak seems to 

 indicate that they are predaceous by nature ; and Uhler, by infer- 

 ence, indicates that they prey on the larvae of Diptera and other 

 forms which habitually lie concealed in soft mud near the surface. 

 Formerly there was thought to be only one species in the East 

 with a range from Massachusetts to Texas, but Mr. H. G. Barber 

 has found three on the Atlantic seaboard, one of which, Ochterus 

 flaviclavus Barber, so far as known is Floridian only. The other 

 two species found in the Eastern States may be separated by means 

 of the key. 



Key to Species. 



Anterior part of the tylus flattened; vertex wider than the width 



of one eye; eyes not very prominent; anterior angles of prono- 



tum angularly truncate ; prothorax more than two and one-half 



times as broad as long at the longest dimension; membrane of 



elytra well developed americarms 



Anterior part of the tylus convex; vertex only as wide as the 

 width of one eye ; eyes noticeably prominent ; anterior angles of 

 pronotum regularly rounded; prothorax less than two and one- 

 half times as broad as long at the longest dimension; membrane 

 of the elytra narrow banksi 



O. americanus (Uhler). 



Bull. U. S. Geol. Geog. Surv. Terr., i, 335, 1876. 



Most of the records of Ochterus are referred to this species, 

 but it has been confounded with the following, therefore much 

 doubt is attached to all. This species is found in New York, 

 within six miles of the Connecticut line, so little effort will reveal 

 it in this State. 

 O. banksi Barber. (Fig. 37.) 



Can. Ent, xlv, 214, 191 3. 



