A NEW SPECIES OF LIGYROCORIS STAL WITH A 
KEY TO THE NORTHEASTERN SPECIES 
(HEMIPTERA: LYGAEIDAE) 
By Merrill H. Sweet 1 
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University' of Connecticut 
In the course of current work upon the biology and ecology of the 
Rhyparochrominae of New England, a new species of Ligyrocoris 
was discovered. The species runs in Barber’s (1921) key to the 
couplet separating diffuses (Uhler) from sylvestris (L.), but; is dis- 
tinct from either species. While the new species is closely related to 
these species, it is also quite close to L. depictus which is separated 
out in a different part of Barber’s key. 
These four closely related species are sympatric in New England, 
although they are markedly different in their overall distribution. The 
habitat preferences and life cycles of the species are quite different 
(Sweet, unpublished). The habitat of the new species described 
below is most unusual for the genus. The greater part of the type 
series was collected along the margin of a small pond where sedge 
clumps were standing in the water among occasional exposed rocks 
rather than in relatively dry fields or slope habitats where the other 
species occur. The species feeds upon the seeds of the sedge, Carex 
stricta Lam., and its life cycle is apparently adapted to that of 
the sedge, which fruits in late May and June. The insect becomes 
adult in mid-June and lays eggs until mid-July. The eggs remain in 
diapause over the summer and winter and hatch in May. 
Ligyrocoris caricis n. sp. 
Male: general body coloration black; posterior lobe of pronotum 
fuscous, becoming pale on humeral angles; connexivum and tricho- 
bothrial spots fuscous; acetabula, posterior margin of metapleuron 
and apex of scutellum pale; hemelytra patterned pale and brown; 
lateral margin of corium pale except for fuscous apex; at least apical 
half of clavus and corium brown, becoming dark at inner angle of 
corium; post median browm area (fascia) extending toward but not 
reaching lateral margin of corium; pale spots behind inner corial 
angles faint or absent; membrane infuscated with base, apex and 
veins pale; legs mostly flavescent; coxae, terminal tarsal segment, and 
ring on base of hind tibia fuscous; fore femora and apical portion of 
J Written during tenure of a National Science Foundation Fellowship. 
Manuscript received by the editor June 15, 1962. 
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