Article beginning on page 61.
Psyche 6:61, 1891.

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April I&I. 1
OEBALUS PUGNAX AN
BY H. GARMAN,
THIS is one of the comn~onest of the
Pentatomidae in Kentucky, occurring
everywhere in July and August on
grasses. Its constant presence and abun- dance on millet attracted my attention
in 1889, but with Podisus s+osus
and other predaceous members of the
family in mind, it was assumed to be
there after other insects, and was not
given special attention. In the summer
of 1890 it was again found to be
common on several species of Setaria
and Panicum, -so common that as
many as twenty adult bugs could be
taken from a single stool of grass. This time the incnngrnity of a predaceons
insect congregating on particular species of grasses, where there was no evident
animal food, made its impression, and
a brief examination was sufficient to
show that the bugs were attracted by
the grasses themselves, which they were
puncturing, and from which they were
extracting the sap. They seemed espec-
ially fond of the young spikelets, and
where the bugs were abundant large
numbers of the spikelets were found
to be dried up, having been emptied
of their contents.
On July 16 a number of the bugs
were collected from Setaria glauca and
Panicurn sanguinale, and confined
with a bunch of grass in a breeding cage, where they were observed to continue
ENEMY OF GRASSES.
their work of puncturing the spikelets.
Some individuals were coupled when
taken, and on the 19th of July the eggs
were found to have been placed in scat-
tered clusters; of about a dozen eggs each, on the stems of grass, and on the sides
of the cage. Each cluster consisted of
two series, the eggs being in contact,
but those of one series alternating in
position with those of the other. This
arrangement of the eggs accommodates
them to the stems of grasses. The habit
of so arranging them appeals to be fixed, for no matter where placed the double
lines were alwaysadhered to. The eggs
are pale green, and measure .7 mm. in
length by -6 mm. across, the diameter
being maintained to the extremities.
The attached end is perceptibly convex.
The free end is so little convex as to ap- pear flat; it is rimmed, and provided
with a marginal scries of capitate ap-
pendages which are so small as not .
to be easily made out even with a good
lens.
From my own observations I should
have supposed Oe. *ax to be exclu.
sively a vegetable feeder, but in the
fourth report of the United States Ento- mological Commission, p. 97, I find it
stated that the species has been observed attacking the cotton worm. Of course
there is nothing improbable in its taking both vegetable and animal food.




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