LIBRARY

280 COLLEGE ENTOMOLOGY
inserted well down on the face, apical segment often enlarged; some have a
malformation known as oligomery. Eyes normal to large and exserted. Ocelli
usually present. Rostrum four-segmented. Legs short; forelegs normal or
raptorial in the subfamily APHANINlE; tarsi three-segmented. Hemelytra
with elongated clavus and membrane prominent and with a few irregular
longitudinal veins. Micropterism, or the tendency to have small wings, is not
uncommon in this family. Abdominal segment VII of the male enlarged.
This is a large family of some 2,000 species and cosmopolitan in distribution.
The members are mostly phytophagous, but a few are thought to be predacious.
Certain members of the subfamily BLISSINJE are quite destructive
to various cereal crops, and some Oxycarenus are important pests of cotton.
The family is divisible into some 13 subfamilies and more than 100 genera.
The most important genera are: Blissus Burmeister, Nysius Dallas, Ischnodemus
Fieber, Lygreus Fab., Oncopeltus san, Cymus Hahn, Geocoris Fallen,
and Oxycarenus Fieber. The most important species is the chinch bug, Blissus
leucopterus (Say), a small dark bug 3-4 mm. long which is a serious pest of
cereals in much of North America. B. gibbus Fab. is common on grasses and
sugar Cane in India but is not harmful. The false chinch bugs of the genus
Nysius are widely distributed and very general feeders. N. thymi Wolff and
N. erica.l (Schilling) of Europe and North America, N. minutus Uhler of North
America, and N. vinitor Bergroth of Australia are the important species.
Many species, such as the beautiful European Lygreus equestris Linn., the
North American L. reclivatus Say, and Oncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas), feed on
milkweeds (Asclepias). These two genera are widespread.
The big-eyed bugs of the genus Geocoris are quite abundant in many parts
of the world and are considered beneficial because of their predacious habits
in destroying insects. The genus is represented by nine species in North
America. G. bullatus (Say), G. pallens sun, G. punct£pes (Say), and G. uliginosus
(Say) occur throughout much of the continent. Lefroy (1909) records G. tricolor
Fab. as predacious on the palm mealybug, Pseudococcus nipre (Maskell), on
cotton in India.
Family PYRRHOCORIDlE 1 Fieber 1861 (Pyr'rho-cor'i-dre, from the Greek
7ruppOS, red, tawny, reddish, flame-colored, + KOPLS, a bug; referring to
the brilliant red colors of some species). German, Feuerwanzen. Red
Bugs, Fire Bugs, Cotton Stainers, Bordered Plant Bugs.
Medium-sized to large, regularly rounded, elongated or stout, dull or brightly
colored herbivorous bugs, varying in length from 5-50 mm. Head rather small.
Antennre well developed, thick, four-segmented. Eyes large. Ocelli absent.
Rostrum long, four-segmented. Prothorax large, hind margin often slightly
wider than mesothorax. Wings well developed or brachypterous and usually
designated as L YGtEIDES Schiller 1829; L YGA':ODES Burmeister 1835; LYGlEIDtE
Herrich-Schreffer 1835, Westwood 1840. Dallas 1852. Baer 1860. Stal 1860. Reuter 1875.
HandIil'$ch 1909, and modern writers; MYODOCHIDlE Kirkaldy 1899, Reuter 1910; GEQ­
CORlDlE Kirkaldy 1902. 1907.
1 'These bugs were early associated with both of the families COREIDlE and L YGtEIDtE.