with yellow. The southern mole cricket, S. acletus R. & H., occurs 
from Georgia to Texas. It is pinkish-buff in color and somewhat 
more slender than S. abbreviatus. All members of this genus feed 
on earthworms, roots, and other insects. They are occasionally 
injurious in nurseries. 
FAMILY BLATTIDAE 
COCKROACHES 
Several species of cockroaches may be found under the bark 
and in cavities in dead trees. They feed chiefly on animal and 
vegetable refuse and, as far as known, are of no economic impor- 
tance to forestry. The adults are distinguished by their depressed, 
oval bodies, their nearly horizontal heads, their slender, depressed 
legs of almost equal size, and the absence of ovipositors in the 
females. 
Order HEMIPTERA 
True bugs 
The order Hemiptera consists of a large and widely distributed 
group of insects. The majority are terrestrial in habit, but many 
are aquatic. Many of the terrestrial forms are phytophagous and 
feed on a wide variety of trees and smaller plants. Quite a large 
number are serious pests of cultivated plants. Trees, fortunately, 
are seriously damaged by only a few species. The order also con- 
tains a large number of predatory species, many of which feed on 
other insects and their eggs. A number of others feed on the 
blood of man and animals and are decidedly obnoxious or harmful, 
especially those which transmit disease-causing organisms. 
The majority of the Hemiptera have the basal portion of the 
front wing thickened and leathery, and only the apical portion is 
membranous. It is from this ‘“half-wing’’ appearance that the 
order gets its name. The hindwings are entirely membranous and 
usually slightly shorter than the front wings. Both pairs of wings 
lie flat over the abdomen with the membranous distal portion of 
the front ones overlapping. The mouth parts consist of a bundle 
of stylets inside a segmented sheath. This slender beak arises 
from the front part of the head and usually extends backward 
along the underside of the body, sometimes to the base of the hind 
pair of legs. Feeding is accomplished by inserting the stylets into 
the tissues of the plant or animal host and sucking up the juices 
or blood. The beak sheath folds back beneath the insect as the 
stylets pierce deeper into the tissues. The antennae are fairly long 
and consist of four or five segments. Many species have scent 
glands which give off odors when disturbed. Man usually finds 
these odors offensive. 
Blatchley (83) and Britton (103) have discussed the Hemiptera 
of eastern North America. 
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