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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Cimicomorpha » Damsel Bugs (Nabidae)

Family Nabidae - Damsel Bugs

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · 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 Cimicomorpha

Family Nabidae (Damsel Bugs)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

some workers treat this family in Cimicoidea

several taxa traditionally treated as separate genera (e.g. in(1)(2)(3)) have been recently demoted back to subgenera of Nabis(4)

Explanation of Names

Nabidae Costa 1853

Numbers

40 spp. in 9 genera of 2 subfamilies in our area(4), ca. 400 spp. in >30 genera worldwide(5)

Overview of our faunaTaxa not yet in the guide are marked (*)

Family Nabidae

Subfamily Nabinae

Tribe Carthasini Carthasis

Tribe Nabini Himacerus (subgenera Anaptus · Himacerus) · Hoplistoscelis · Lasiomerus · Metatropiphorus · Nabis (subgenera Dolichonabis · Limnonabis · Nabicula · Nabis · *Omanonabis · Reduviolus · Tropiconabis)

Subfamily Prostemminae

Tribe Phorticini Phorticus

Tribe Prostemmini Alloeorhynchus · Pagasa (subgenera Lampropagasa · *Pagasa)

Size

3-12 mm

Identification

slender, light to dark brown or black with 4-segmented beak; resemble assassin bugs due to the slightly enlarged (raptorial) front femora; a series of elongated cells around the front wing membrane; some species have reduced wings

key to MI spp. in(6)

Range

worldwide and throughout NA

Habitat

Common in eastern forests. Occurs in large numbers under decaying undergrowth. (7)

Season

most common in warmer months but may be found at any time of year

Food

soft-bodied insects

Life Cycle

adults overwinter in leaf litter; 1-5 generations per year, depending on location

Print References

(8)

Works Cited

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

2.	Catalog of the Heteroptera, or True Bugs of Canada and the Continental United States Thomas J. Henry, Richard C. Froeschner. 1988. Brill Academic Publishers.

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

4.	Three new species, notes and new records of poorly known species, and an updated checklist for the North American Nabidae... Kerzhner I.M., Henry T.J. 2008. Proc. Ent Soc. Wash. 110: 988–1011.

5.	Australian Faunal Directory

6.	A synopsis of the damsel bugs (Heteroptera: Nabidae) of Michigan Swanson D.R. 2012. The Great Lakes Entomologist 45: 40-55.

7.	Eastern Forest Insects Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.

8.	A monographic study of the hemipterous family Nabidae as it occurs in North America Harris, H.M. 1928. Entomologica Americana, 9: 1-97.

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 25 September, 2004 - 9:50am
Additional contributions by Bbarnd, Chuck Entz, John Schneider, v belov, marcie oconnor, Marci Hess
Last updated 14 October, 2023 - 9:54am

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