Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Pentatomomorpha » Leatherbugs (Coreoidea) » Broad-headed Bugs (Alydidae)

Family Alydidae - Broad-headed Bugs

Broad-headed bug - Stachyocnemus apicalis

Lupine Bug - Megalotomus quinquespinosus

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 Pentatomomorpha

Superfamily Coreoidea (Leatherbugs)

Family Alydidae (Broad-headed Bugs)

Explanation of Names

30 spp. (incl. at least 7 introduced ones) in 13 genera in our area(1), over 250 spp. in ~45 genera of 2-3 subfamilies worldwide(2)(3)

Note: Neomegalotomus, not listed in(1), contains a FL species formerly treated in Megalotomus (Henry & Wilson 2004)

Overview of our fauna (classification follows(4)):

Family Alydidae

Subfamily Micrelytrinae

Tribe Leptocorisini Stenocoris

Tribe Micrelytrini Cydamus · Darmistus · Esperanza · Protenor

Subfamily Alydinae Alydus · Apidaurus · Burtinus · Hyalymenus · Megalotomus · Neomegalotomus · Stachyocnemus · Tollius (5)

Size

10-18 mm(1)

Identification

Similar to Rhopalidae & Coreidae but head relatively broader and body usually long and narrow.

key to FL spp. in(6)

Range

Across NA(1) and much of the world; most diverse in the tropical/subtropical regions(2)

Habitat

vegetation along roadsides and in wooded areas

Food

All phytophagous(7); Alydinae feed primarily on Fabaceae (often on seeds); Micreletrynae, mainly on grasses(2)

Remarks

Some are serious pests of crops, e.g. rice(8)

Print References

Fracker, S.B. 1918. The Alydinae of the United States. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 11(3): 255-280. (5)

Works Cited

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

2.	Zoological catalogue of Australia: Hemiptera: Heteroptera (Pentatomomorpha) Cassis G., Gross G.F. 2002. CSIRO Publishing, 751 pp.

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.	Livermore L.J.R., Lemaître V.A., Dolling W.R., Webb M.D. Coreoidea species file online. Version 5.0

5.	The Alydinae of the United States S.B. Fracker. 1918. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 11:1918. 255–282.

6.	Key to Florida Alydidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) and selected exotic pest species Jansen M.A., Halbert S.E. 2016. Insecta Mundi 0476: 1-14.

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

8.	Heteroptera of economic importance Schaefer C.W., Panizzi A.R. (eds). 2000. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 828 pp.

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Mike Quinn, v belov, KenW
Last updated 26 June, 2021 - 5:30pm

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