1926J 
Some N otoneda from South America 
11 
SOME NOTONECTA FROM SOUTH AMERICA 
By H. B. Hungerford, 
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 
The lack of precise external structural characters in the 
Genus Notonecta has led to almost hopeless confusion of the 
South American species. Fieber, unable to limit the range of 
variation within a species proposed many varietal names. 
Kirkaldy 2 in his “Revision of the Genus Notonecta” disposed of 
a number of specific names by sinking them into synonomy 
This procedure has given a false impression of the relation of 
North and South American Notonecta. Kirkaldy, for illustra- 
tion, considered the range of the most common North American 
Notonecta undulata Say to include Chile, South America. This 
was possible because he thought N. virescens Blanch, was only a 
variety of N. undulata Say. An examination of the genital 
capsules of the males will show plainly that they are distinct 
species. Other features less demonstrable but constant separate 
these species. N. virescens Blanchard is a good species. 
Prior to Fieber’s Rhynchotographieen Guerin 3 1844 des- 
cribed N. hifasciata from “les bords de la Platta.” Then the 
same year that Fieber’s paper appeared (1852) Blanchard’s N. 
virescens was described. It appears that this species from Chile 
was unknown to Fieber. Fieber in his 1852 paper first describes 
N . nigra , a large and readily recognized species, the types of 
which are still in Vienna. Under Notonecta rugosa (==N. insulata 
Kirby) after naming three varieties from Long Island, Baltimore 
and Pennsylvania, he adds the variety hasahs from Brazil. 
Under N. VariahiUs he describes 4 varieties, the first one from 
Brazil and Porto Rico, the second from Baltimore, and the 
third and fourth from Brazil. I have not seen specimens of the 
1 Fieber, Franz Xavier: Rhynchotographieen- Prag (From Acten der 
Konigl. Geseilschaft der Wissenschaften, Vol. V, Pt. 7.) 
2 Kirdaldy, G. W. : Revision of the Notonectidae Part I. Introduction 
and Systematic Revision of the Genus Notonecta. Trans. Ento. Society of 
London. 1897. 
3 Guerin-Meneville, Felix Edouard: Iconograohie du Regne Animal de 
G . Cuvier Paris- 1829- 1841. 
