Suborder Heteroptera - True Bugs
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Formerly classified as an order (Hemiptera or Heteroptera); now treated as a subgroup within the re-defined order Hemiptera - see Wikipedia discussion of the issues and opinions regarding the name Heteroptera and its taxonomic status
also see classification schemes in Internet References below
Prosorryncha has been proposed as a replacement name for Heteroptera - see discussion at WikipediaNumbers About 40,000 spp. in up to 75 families worldwide (1); 3834 spp. in 677 genera in 45 families north of Mexico (2)Identification Characteristics of true bugs (3)(4):
Gradual or incomplete metamorphosis (no pupa stage)
Juveniles ( nymphs) resemble adults, but may vary in coloration, and usually have reduced wings which become larger in successive molts
Soft or hard-bodied, often dorsoventrally flattened in profile
Typically two pairs of wings in adult: forewings ( hemelytra) are partly thick and protective, and partly membranous
Hindwings are typically fully membranous and function in flight, though some species are wingless. (Juveniles have reduced wings.)
Wings at rest have apical portion (tip) crossed - a distinctive characteristic
Scutellum (triangular portion of thorax exposed between base of wings along midline) is prominent. Beetles may also have a prominent scutellum.
Mouthparts are a piercing or sucking "beak" arising from front of head
Antennae, when not hidden, have 4-5 segments
Ocelli (simple eyes) present in some groups
Some groups such as stink bugs (family Pentatomidae) have thoracic scent glands whose secretions are for defensive purposes
P. M. Choate (5) provides a simple, well-illustrated online key to families. Habitat Many groups terrestrial; a few large groups are aquatic Food Most species feed on plant juices; some are predatory or parasitic (blood-sucking). Some are considered agricultural or public health pests. Life Cycle Gradual or incomplete metamorphosis (no pupa stage); juveniles ( nymphs) resemble adults except they usually have reduced wings and are incapable of flight. Remarks The suborder Heteroptera is divided into 7 Infraorders (see ITIS or TOL), all of which have species in North America.
1. Infraorder Enicocephalomorpha includes 1 family worldwide and in North America (according to ITIS): Enicocephalidae. TOL Splits that family into two, with the second family also found in North America: Aenictopecheidae
2. Infraorder Dipsocoromorpha includes 5 families worldwide (according to TOL), with 3 reported from North America: Ceratocombidae, Dipsocoridae, and Schizopteridae.
3. Infraorder Gerromorpha includes semiaquatic bugs in 8 families worldwide (see TOL) and 6 families in North America: Gerridae, Hebridae, Hydrometridae, Macroveliidae, Mesoveliidae, and Veliidae (Paraphyrnoveliidae occurs only in southern Africa, and Hermatobatidae occurs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans).
4. Infraorder Leptopodomorpha includes 4 families worldwide (according to TOL), with 2 families in North America: Saldidae and Leptopodidae.
5. Infraorder Nepomorpha includes aquatic bugs in 11 families worldwide (see TOL) and 8 families in North America: Belostomatidae, Corixidae, Gelastocoridae, Naucoridae, Nepidae, Notonectidae, Ochteridae, and Pleidae (Aphelocheiridae, Potamocoridae, and Helotrephidae occur in the Neotropics and Old World)
6. Infraorder Cimicomorpha includes 16 families worldwide (see TOL) and 9 families in North America: Anthocoridae, Cimicidae, Microphysidae, Miridae, Nabidae, Polyctenidae, Reduviidae (which includes Subfamily Phymatinae, formerly classified as Family Phymatidae), Thaumastocoridae, and Tingidae
7. Infraorder Pentatomomorpha includes 4 main superfamilies in North America ( TOL):
Coreoidea contains the families Alydidae, Coreidae, and Rhopalidae ( ITIS)
Lygaeoidea contains the families Artheneidae, Berytidae, Blissidae, Cymidae, Geocoridae, Heterogastridae, Lygaeidae, Ninidae, Oxycarenidae, Pachygronthidae, Piesmatidae, and Rhyparochromidae ( ITIS)
Pyrrocoroidea contains the families Largidae and Pyrrhocoridae ( ITIS)
Much of the content of this page was copied from the former "True Bugs" Hemiptera page (classified as an order at the time) with contributions from Troy Bartlett, Mike Boone, Patrick Coin, Hannah Nendick-Mason, and Lynette Schimming. See Also
Cicadas, hoppers, and allies ( Auchenorryncha)
How to tell a bug from a beetle:
[copied from Jim McClarin's comment on an image no longer available]
The first thing I look at is the antennae. If they are long-to-medium length but have fewer than six segments (often 4 or 5), then it's a bug. Beetles have many more segments ( antennomeres) in their antennae. Often in bugs the end antennomere is a lot longer than the rest and you can see the angle of the bend, sorta like this:
/ \
\ /
Another thing to look for is pinching mandibles on a beetle's mouthparts and a piercing, sucking mouthpart on bugs that is usually folded back against their underside.
Finally, many bugs have quite apparent half wingcovers that, together with their triangular scutellum (between the forward portion of the wingcovers), forms an X shape.
However, in some bugs ( Scutelleridae, Thyreocoridae) the scutellum is so large that it covers nearly the entire wing area. These bugs have tiny wingcovers at the sides of their backs and lack the wingcover suture of a beetle running down the middle of the back.
Internet References Wikipedia Article on Heteroptera with a discussion of its usage, alternative names, and issues of classification
Tree of Life (TOL) classification as a group within the group Hemiptera
Insects of Cedar Creek characteristics of True Bugs (keeps obsolete taxonomy treating True Bugs as separate order Hemiptera; use this source with caution: it's plagued with misidentified images!)
Swedish Museum of Natural History -- imaged type specimens of species described by Stål and Reuter
Die Wanzen Europas (The True Bugs of Europe) by Alexander Grau & David Koehler -- a photo gallery showing a very representative sample of all families on one page
European Bugs -- a large photo gallery with reliable IDs
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