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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Leptopodomorpha » Shore Bugs (Saldidae)

Family Saldidae - Shore Bugs

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Print References · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)

Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)

Infraorder Leptopodomorpha

Family Saldidae (Shore Bugs)

Explanation of Names

Saldidae Amyot & Serville 1843

Numbers

2 subfamilies, with 72 spp. in 11-13 genera in NA(1)(2) and ~340 spp. in ~30 genera worldwide(3)

Overview of our fauna:

Family Saldidae

Subfamily Chiloxanthinae Chiloxanthus, Pentacora

Subfamily Saldinae

Tribe Saldoidini Ioscytus, Macrosaldula, Micracanthia, Rupisalda, Saldoida, Saldula

Tribe Saldini Calacanthia, Lampracanthia, Salda, Teloleuca

Size

3‒7 mm

Identification

body oval, flattened, brown and white or black and white; forewing membrane with four or five long closed cells

Range

North America, Eurasia, Africa, Australia

Habitat

near water on sandy shores, edges of ponds, bogs, marshes, mud flats; on rocks in streams; around springs(4); may also occur away from water, even in dry areas(3)

Season

Apr‒Oct

Food

predaceous on other insects; some scavengers(1)

Print References

(5)

Works Cited

1.	Aquatic Insects of North America R. W. Merritt, K. W. Cummins, M.B. Berg. 2008. Kendall/Hunt.

2.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

3.	Biodiversity of the Heteroptera Henry T.J. 2009. In: Foottit R.G., Adler P.H., eds. Insect biodiversity: Science and society. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell: 223−263.

4.	How to Know the True Bugs Slater, James A., and Baranowski, Richard M. 1978. Wm. C. Brown Company.

5.	Encyclopedia of South American aquatic insects: Hemiptera-Heteroptera: illustrated keys to known families, genera, and species Heckman C.W. 2011. Springer. ix+679 pp.

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 31 March, 2005 - 1:42am
Additional contributions by cotinis, v belov
Last updated 9 October, 2023 - 3:08pm

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