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Entomology:  HEMIPTERA 1

Kingdom:  Animalia, Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Hexapoda: Class: Insecta: Order: Hemiptera

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General Summary of Hemiptera

 

          Hemiptera, meaning "half-wing", are the true bugs that include many species that are destructive to agricultural crops.  DNA evidence has shown a close relationship to the Homoptera, so that the old classification under one group, Heteroptera, may eventually be reinstated.

 

 

          They have one-half of their wings leathery and rough, while the other half is membranous and soft.  They are called hemelytra.  Sometimes the leathery wings may be reduced or absent.  There is a rather large scutellum.  Metamorphosis is simple as the nymphs have the same form as adults except for the lacking wings.

 

          The mouthparts arise from the front of the head and they possess true sucking mouthparts whereas other insects that suck have modified mouthparts.  Their beak usually has 3-4 segments.  Plant feeding species suck plant juices whereas predatory species suck blood from their hosts.

 

 

          The legs are typically the running type, equipped for rapid movement.  Predaceous species have specialized forelegs for grasping.  Some species have legs modified for rowing.

 

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Families of Hemiptera

 

          The families of Hemiptera can be divided into Land forms and Non-land forms depending on whether they are terrestrial, aquatic or merely inhabit the water surface.  Some of the most common species are discussed and additional information on <Habits>, <Adults> and <Juveniles> is included when available.

 

Land Forms of Hemiptera

 

     Anthocoridae. --  <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles>  Barber (1936) gave an early account of the behavior of Orius (= Triphleps) insidiosus Say in North America.  In corn this species was a predator of Thysanoptera, Homoptera and to some extent Hemiptera, Lepidoptera and Acarina.  It was considered the most important natural enemy of the corn earworm, Heliothis obsoleta F., in certain areas of the United States.  Records from Virginia showed that the proportion of eggs destroyed ranged from 14-54% during the season.  Young larvae were also attacked, though to a lesser extent (Clausen 1940/1962).

 

 

          Pirate bugs average about 1.5 mm to 5 mm long. Their body is oval to triangular and somewhat flattened, sometimes with a black and white patterned back.

 

          Pirate bugs feed on other small insects, spider mites and insect eggs. They cut a hole into their prey, pump saliva into it and drink the contents. This makes them beneficial as biological control agents. Orius insidiosus, the "insidious flower bug", for example, feeds on the eggs of the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea). Especially O. insidiosus is often released in greenhouses against mites and thrips.

 

          These small insects can bite humans, with surprising pain for such a small insect. However, they do not feed on human blood or inject venom or saliva. In some people the bite swells up, in others there is no reaction

 

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          Cimicidae. -- These are the bedbugs, which possess no wings in any stage of development.  They are flattened insects that enable them to squeeze into fine crevices.  They are blood feeders that favor tight areas, under belts, etc.  Of the more than 45 species known, most feed upon birds, some upon bats and two species upon humans.

 

          Bedbugs are nocturnal insects and occur only where their hosts are present.  They require several meals of blood to complete their life cycle, and when blood is unavailable they can stretch their life cycle.  Some people develop a terrific rash while others are rather insensitive.  There has been no disease associated with Cimicidae, but because of their severe annoyance a quest for control led to the development of Rotenone as an insecticide.

 

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          Coreidae. -- Leaf footed bugs include the squash bug and box elder bug.  This is a moderately sized group whose species have well developed scent glands, which open on the sides of the thorax.  These give off a distinctive odor when handled.  All are plant feeders and injurious to cucurbits and to some fruit crops.  Some are a nuisance as household pests.

 

          Some coreids are brightly colored that often collect in great numbers on trees and shrubs.  The box elder bug in Western North America can cause a nuisance from the swarms that frequently occur.

 

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          Enicocephalidae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> &<Juveniles> These are the "Unique-headed" or "Gnat bugs."

 They are small, slender and predaceous and are generally  4 mm  long, and occur worldwide. The head is elongated and somewhat constricted.  The front wings are entirely membranous.  In the United States there is a rare species, Systeloderes biceps (Say), which may be the only one.  There are about 130 identified species.  Clausen (1940) made brief mention of this family, stating that it was a relatively small group which inhabited foliage and flowers and fed on a variety of insects in those habitats.

 

 

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     Gelastocoridae. --  <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles>  The Gelastocoridae or toad bugs contain about 105 species. They resemble toads by their warty appearance and movements. These riparian insects occur at the margins of streams and ponds, where they are predators of other insects. The family has a worldwide distribution, with most species occurring in the tropics.

 

 

          The following is derived primarily from  Cassis et al. (2002):

 

          Toad bugs average 6.1–11 mm long and have an ovoid body with roughened surface, frequently with a warty appearance. The eyes are large, and protruding with ocelli usually being present. The short antennae have four segments. The labium is 4-segmented and does not extend beyond the forecoxae. The pronotum is large, transverse and wider than the head. The scutellum is triangular and large. The metathoracic scent glands are well developed in the Gelastocorinae, and absent in the Nerthrinae. The larvae lack dorsal abdominal gland openings. The forewings are mostly divided into clavus, corium and membrane. Menke (1979) reported wing polymorphism as common, with flight rare, particularly in Nerthra Say species. In some species the hemelytra are fused along the midline (Todd 1960). Parsons (1960) records a reduction in hind wings and wing musculature in Gelastocoris Kirkaldy. The mid and hind legs are slenderand the forefemora are incrassate. The foretarsi are diagnostic at the subfamily level, the Gelastocorinae having a fully articulated, 1-segmented tarsus, with the foretarsus and tibiae fused and a single claw on the pretarsus. The pretarsi of the forelegs are asymmetrical, with the inner claw reduced. The hind tarsus is 3-segmented. The abdominal sternites are asymmetrical, particularly in the males. The male genitalia are asymmetrical with the left paramere reduced or absent. The females lack a laciniated ovipositor (Parsons 1959, 1960; Slater 1982).

 

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          Lygaeidae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles> -- The "chinch bugs" belong to this family, which includes some brilliantly colored and large species (e.g., milkweed bug).  Extremely injurious they prefer to feed on seeds such as cereals, especially wheat, and have been serious pests in Central North America.  The main symptom of injury is a wilting and death of grain, especially maize.  There are some predaceous species.

 

 

          Their size ranges from 1/4 to 3/8 inches long.  The antennae have four segments.  There are only four of five veins in the wing.  In cold climates they overwinter in clumps of grasses as adults.  Adults migrate to grain fields in springtime and eggs are laid in the boot of the plants.  They will emigrate to maize as nymphs, which cannot fly but must walk.

 

          The False Chinch Bug will feed on most wild plants in Western North America but will invade herbaceous crops if present.  Overwintering is usually in the nymphal stage.

 

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          Miridae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles> -- The plant bugs, Lygus spp. is a large family with over 5,000 species known.  They feed primarily on plant juices and many are economic pests, and a few are predaceous.

 

          They are fragile insects with drab to brilliant coloration.  The wing has a unique appearance with two small cells, and the scutellum has a triangle on its back.

 

          Mirids are very active and can run and fly very rapidly.  Several species have taken up residence with ants.  They injure a wide variety of crops and are especially important on alfalfa seed production, cotton, clover, celery and various fruits.  Both nymphs and adults feed mainly on the newly developed parts of plants and distort any fruit that might form.  In Western North America they rank as one of the most important economic insects.

 

          Overwintering is in the adult stage.  There are approximately four generations per year, with 20-30 days per generation. 

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          Nabidae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles> -- Damsel bugs are small, 3-11.5 mm in length, slender with their front femora somewhat enlarged.  They are all predaceous and feed on many different kinds of insects.   Their color varies from yellow to brown with well-developed wings.

 

 

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          Pentatomidae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles> -- The true stinkbugs are one of the largest families in the order with a worldwide distribution.  They are especially predominant in the tropics.  In North America many species are crop pests where they are very destructive to alfalfa seed.  The Say's Plant Bug is a green alfalfa feeder.  All feed on herbaceous plats, sucking juices.  There is one predaceous subfamily.

 

 

          These insects are flattened, shield-shaped insects, 1/4 - 1/2 inch long usually.  Many species have beautiful colorations, especially in tropical areas.  Antennae are 5-segmented, from which the family derives its name (Penta tomidae)

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          Phymatidae. -- <Adults> & <Juveniles>  This is a group of small wide insects with raptorial front legs.  The front femora are short and as broad as long.  The tibiae are minute and curved.  Most average 3-4 cm. long, but they are able to capture insects such as large bumble bees, wasps, honey bees and house flies..  They locate their prey on flowers, primarily goldenrod, where they are camouflaged.

 

 

          Insects in the subfamily Phymatinae are called "ambush bugs" because they stalk prey  while  camouflaged.  They have raptorial forelegs that are used in the capture process.

 

          Phymatinae are 5.1–12.3 millimetres long. In Phymata, the scutellum is triangular and shorter than the pronotum. In Macrocephalus the scutellum is narrow and rounded and extends to the tip of the abdomen. 

 

          Most of these insects have a large fore femur and clubbed antennae.  The forewing membranes sometimes  lack distinct cells.  The antennae have 4 segments, and there are two ocelli. The beak and tarsi have 3 segments. The posterior part of the abdomen extends beyond the wing margins.

 

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          Reduviidae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles> -- These are the assassin bugs and kissing bugs.  Their beak lies back between their legs in a groove called the stridulatory groove.  When the beak is rubbed against the groove a squeaking sound is produced.

 

 

          All members of this family are predaceous and bloodsuckers.  The group has very harmful aspects, as some species are important medically as vectors of very serious human diseases.  In tropical America Chagas Disease, caused by trypanosomes is vectored by assassin bugs.  Their bite is very painful due to their toxic saliva.  They may even enter dwellings to feed upon bed bugs and other insects.

 

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     Termitaphididae. -- These insects are known as  "Termite bugs."  The family is small occurring in the tropics worldwide.  Individuals of Termitaphididae are small, averaging 2-4 millimetres.  They are flattened with plates  extending out from each body to produce a round scale like appearance.  There are two genera and twelve known species.  They are are also inquilines that occur in the nests of termite families Termitidae and Rhinotermitidae.  Though considered a separate family in Aradoidea it has been suggested that Termataphididae may in fact be highly derived members of Aradidae.  Of the known species one Termitaphis circumvallata belongs to the monotypic genus Termitaphis and four of the remaining eleven species in Termitaradus are extinct, having only been known from amber deposits.  Living species occur worldwide in the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

 

 

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          Tingidae. -- These are lace bugs, whose body's dorsal surface shows a very find network of veins, which gives it a delicate lace pattern.  The immature stages differ from the adult in possessing many spines.

 

 

          All species are plant feeders, preferring to reside on the undersides of leaves.  Some form galls on the leaves and many cause some defoliation.

 

Non-land Forms of Hemiptera

 

          For a long time this group was believed to be ancestral to land, but this has now been considered false.  Certain predatory forms inhabit a shore or littoral environment.  Many species are able to spend only a part of their life in water.  Some are able to live on the water surface.

 

          Special modifications have enabled them to exist in aquatic environments.  They have developed special breathing apparatus, some lost the predatory habit and feed only on plants, and some have had their legs modified so that they do not sink into the water itself.

 

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          Belostomatidae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles> -- Giant water bugs have a flattened form facilitates movement.  Most are brownish and leathery in appearance and are found in quiet water or in streams.  Their front legs are modified for the predatory habit, and they are very aggressive and active swimmers.  Insects, frogs and fish are included in their diet.

 

 

          Belostomatids have the habit of feigning death when captured, and they can inflict painful bites.

 

          Their eggs are laid on vegetation or glued to objects in water, usually in masses containing up to 100 eggs.  Oftentimes the female lays eggs on the back of the male.  The glue is water insoluble.

 

          In the water they breathe by means of a breathing tube.  Retractile appendages at the end of the abdomen lead to spiracles on the 6th abdominal segment.  Air reservoirs are also present.

 

          They have nocturnal flight habits and are attracted to light.  They can be a nuisance in tropical areas when they infest buildings.

 

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          Berytidae (Neididae). -- This is a small family of thread-legged hemipteran insects in the superfamily Lygaeoidea.  Species are slender and delicate with very long legs and antennae.  The apex of the first segment of the antennae, and apices of the femora, are clavate; terminal segment of antennae enlarged and fusiform; antennae four-segmented and tarsi three-segmented.  The head is usually equipped with a transverse dorsal sulcus immediately anterior to ocelli, and continued laterally to the hind margin of the eyes.  The pronotum dorsally and laterally, and the subcoxae are covered with a raised net-like reticulation enclosing punctuations.

 

 

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          Corixidae. -- Water boatmen are very widespread and probably the most abundant of the Hemiptera.  Different species prefer certain kinds of water.  They have a very interesting wing pattern, which is black and white with a barred effect.  Their size is 1/4 to 3/4 inches in length, and their coloration is protective.  Their legs are modified for rapid movement in water.  Ent91

 

          This is the only aquatic group that is not predaceous, as it feeds on algae with some exceptions.  The larvae also feed on minute vegetable material by scooping it into their mouths.  They have spatulate tarsi.  Some may feed on mosquito larvae.  They are short-lived insects.  Specialized masticating structures are present.

 

          Many corixids are very active at night.

 

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          Gerridae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles> -- Water striders have long slender legs.  Body hairs repel water and their claws have been reposition from apical to pre-apical so that the surface film of the water is not broken.  The hind legs are for steering, while the front legs are held under the head and shorter then the rest.  They hold their prey with their front legs, and pierce and suck out the liquid contents.

 

 

          Tropical members of this insect group exist in the marine habitat and can be found a few hundred kilometers out at sea.

 

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          Mesoveliidae. -- Water Treaders occur on floating vegetation at the edges of pools or ponds or on logs that project from water.  They can run rapidly over the water surface.  Their size ranges up to only 5 mm in length.  They are slender insects and usually green or yellow in color.  Adults may be either winged or wingless.  They are all predaceous on small aquatic organisms that occur near the surface of water.

 

 

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          Naucoridae. --  <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles>  This is a small family of insects species of which are the  creeping water bugs.  Originally this family was placed in the Naucoroidea with the Aphelocheiridae and Potamocoridae.They are similar in appearance and behavior to the Belostomatidae, as they also occur in ponds and other quiet waters. Sometimes, these insects also occur  found in damp places in dwellings, and are frequently believed to be cockroaches. There are about 22 genera in 5 subfamilies, with worldwide distribution.

 

 

          Their body shape makes them look like smaller Belostomatidae . They have raptorial forelegs for catching and holding their prey.  Their small antennae located under the eye are often difficult to discern.  Similar to the Giant Water Bugs they have a cylindrical beak of 3 or 4 segments.


          The genus Ambrysus is very common in western North America, occurring in still waters, or clear streams and ponds.

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          Nepidae. --  <Juveniles>  These are the water scorpions, their superficial resemblance to a scorpion, which is due to the raptorial forelegs and the presence of a long slender process at the posterior end of the abdomen, simulating a tail.  There are 14 genera in in two subfamilies, Nepinae and Ranatrinae. Species of the genus Ranatra are referred to as needle bugs or water sticks because they are thinner than Nepa and its allied genera.

 

 

          All species are predaceous aquatic bugs with raptorial front legs.  They have a long caudal breathing tube that is derived from their cerci.  This tube is often as long as the body, and is held at the surface as the insect crawls over aquatic vegetation   They move quietly and feed on small aquatic animals.  They may inflict painful bites on humans.  They do not usually fly although wings are funcitonal.  The eggs are laid in the tissues of aquatic plants.

 

          Waterscorpions feed mainly on invertebrates, but sometimes will even consume small fish or tadpoles. Respiration in the adult is through the caudal process, which consists of a pair of half-tubes that are  locked together to form a siphon. In immature forms the siphon is undeveloped and breathing takes place through six pairs of abdominal spiracles.

 

          The eggs, which are laid above the waterline in mud, decomposing vegetation, the stems of plants or rotting wood, are supplied with air by filamentous processes which vary in number among the genera.

 

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          Nerthridae (= Galgulidae). -- The "Toad Bugs" are broad, squat and with prominant eyes.  They are predators living in swamps and along stream banks.  There is no known economic importance.  Galgulus is a common genus found.

 

 

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          Notonectidae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles> -- The backswimmers have a keel-shaped appearance somewhat like a boat.  They swim up side down.  They rest on water, their legs extended as oars that have fringes of hairs, which allow them to propel themselves rapidly.  These insects are difficult to capture as they are very agile and dive rapidly into the water.  They inhabit streams and lakes.  Some species are brightly colored.  They suck the juices of plants and will travel long distances to water.

 

 

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          Ochteridae . -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles>  These are the velvety shore bugs.  They derive their name from a velvety appearance.  There are about 26 identified species.

 

 

          They are egg-shaped and 3-5.5 mm. long.  They occur along the banks of streams and ponds and also in sandy or muddy places near to shallow water..  Their color is blue or black, and they are are all considered predaceous.  Clausen (1940) noted that they are littoral in habit and feed on insects and other small animals around the muddy margins of ponds and streams.

 

          Habit: Commonly known as ‘velvet shore bugs’, they are cryptically colored, run quickly over sunlit open ground and jump or fly short distances. The nymphs of some species are slow moving and so camouflage themselves by scooping sand onto their dorsum using a small comb on the anterior portion of the head, just over the labrum, and positioning it using the fore- and hindlegs.


          Life history: The biology of Megochterus species is unknown. Ochterus eggs are suboval in cross-section. The female lays her eggs singly amongst debris and on sand grains. At the last molt, Ochterus nymphs build small cells of sand in which they stay for two days before and after molting.

 

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     Saldidae. --  <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles>  These are known as shore bugs, and are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are oval-shaped and measure 2.1 8.2 mm long when mature. They are usually found near shorelines or the marginal growths near water. They are able to escape harm by leaping or taking flight.

 

 

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     Vellidae. -- <Habits>; <Adults> & <Juveniles>  Veliidae is a family of predatory insects in the order Hemiptera. They are also known as riffle bugs, smaller water striders or broad-shouldered water striders due to the segment just behind the head being wider than the rest of the abdomen.  This differs from the typical water striders (Gerridae), which are close relatives that are also in superfamily Gerrioidea. Unlike some Gerridae, riffle bugs are small and usually about 4.4 mm. long.

 

 

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Hemiptera --Biological Control Projects (1% of total projects)

 

 

Green Vegetable Bug, Nezara viridula (L.) <ch-58.htm>

 

 

Details of Insect Taxonomic Groups

 

          Examples of beneficial species occur in almost every insect order, and considerable information on morphology and habits has been assembled.  Therefore, the principal groups of insect parasitoids and predators provide details that refer to the entire class Insecta.  These details are available at <taxnames.htm>.

 

 

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References  & <biology.ref.htm>, [Additional references may be found at:  MELVYL Library ]

 

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