152 FLORIDA HEAIIPTERA 



A careful study of the insects herein enumerated has been 

 somewhat of a surprise to me in that it indicates a different 

 origin for the fauna of this state than I had anticipated. The 

 Hemiptera as found by me point to four distinct sources of 

 origin. First and most generally distributed is the Carolinian 

 fauna which seems to have had its center of distribution in the 

 foot hills of northern Georgia and the western portion of the 

 Carolinas. This fauna has evidently spread southward over 

 the low flat country of southeastern Georgia and Florida but 

 south of Tampa forms but a small element in the insect life of 

 the state. Perhaps second in importance is the intermixture of 

 the West Indian fauna which is a conspicuous element at the 

 southern end of the state and spreads northward nearly or quite 

 to the middle of the state, at least along the coasts. A third 

 and relatively important group of forms constitutes what might 

 be termed a native or Floridian fauna which seems to have 

 originated in this state, probably from an intermixture of the 

 two faunas already mentioned, and fostered perhaps by the 

 great extent of the unusual physical conditions found on this 

 peninsula. The fourth element of the fauna is composed of 

 stragglers from the rich faunas of Mexico and Texas ; widely 

 distributed species which have followed the gulf coast and have 

 found the conditions here favorable for their preservation. 

 Finally a few species were found which are almost universally 

 distributed in North America. My knowledge of the Hemip- 

 terous fauna of our southern and southwestern states is still too 

 meagre for me to attempt to draw the line closely between 

 these elements of the Floridian fauna but the present material 

 is sufficient to enable me to distinguish them quite clearly, and 

 in a rough way to indicate their extent. 



This collecting trip was undertaken partially in the interest 

 of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences and to one of the 

 directors of this society, Mr. Ottomar Reinecke, I am much 

 indebted for his continued interest and encouragement in plan- 

 ning and carrying it through. I am also under obligations to 

 the kind friends already mentioned whom I met in Florida and 

 who did much to make my trip pleasant and profitable, but I 

 am especially indebted to Mrs. Annie Trumbull Slosson for 

 the loan of many of her most interesting Florida captures which 

 I needed for comparison and study, and to Dr. W. L. Distant, 

 Mr. Otto Heidemann, Mr. J. R. de la Torre Bueno, Prof. Her- 



