Hemiptera

Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising some 67,500 known species in two suborders, Heteroptera and Homoptera. Originally the Homoptera were treated as a separate order. Members of the Hemiptera, and of the Heteroptera in particular, are sometimes called "true bugs". The name comes from their forewings[?] having both membranous and hard portions. It is also this which gives the order its name, hemiptera, coming from the Latin for half-wing.

Species of order Hemiptera occcur worldwide; they are distinguished from all other insects by both adults and nymphs having piercing and sucking mouthparts housed in a long "beak". These are used mostly to feed on plant juices, but some species are adapted to suck blood from animals or other insects.

Table of contents 1 Suborder Heteroptera 2 Suborder Homoptera 2.1 Series Auchenorryncha 2.2 Series Sternorryncha 3 External Links

Suborder Heteroptera 25,000 known species in over 60 families:

• assassin bug[?]
• back swimmer[?] or water boatman (Notonectidae)
• lesser water boatman (Corixidae)
• saucer bug (Naucoridae)
• pond skater

Suborder Homoptera 42,500 known species

See also: http://www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/hemip1.htm

Series Auchenorryncha

Cicadas and hoppers; 33,000 species in over 30 families.

• cicada
• froghopper

Series Sternorryncha

12,500 species.

• aphid
• greenfly[?]
• armored scale
• cochineal - does it belongs here in this serie?
• mealy bug
• whitefly

External Links

• http://www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/hemip.htm
• Tree of Life project (http://tolweb.org/tree/eukaryotes/animals/arthropoda/hexapoda/hemiptera/hemiptera)