what are the characteristics of hemiptera

Other characeristics of Hemiptera include:

• piercing-sucking mouth parts
• Mouth part in form of segmented beak arising from front part of the head and extending back along the ventral side of the body at times as far as the base of the hind legs
• Antennae are fairly long and contain four to five segments
• Compound eyes are usually well developed
• Many have glands secreting unpleasant odor
• Well developed wings in general

Full Answer

What are the characteristics of the order Hemiptera?

Called the true bugs, insects in the order hemiptera have a particular structure of the front wings from which the order gets its name Apical portion is membranous (this type of wing is called hemelytron, or hemelytran if single) Other characeristics of Hemiptera include:

Where do you find Hemiptera?

They are in abundance worldwide. Hemiptera includes terrestrial and aquatic insects, and members of the order may also be found on plants and animals. Many of the true bug species are interesting and have distinct behaviors that distinguish them from other bugs.

What do the young of hemipterans look like?

The young of hemipterans look like small adults. Some bugs may be mistaken for beetles but can be distinguished by their mouthparts as beetles have mandibulate mouthparts while bugs have sucking/piercing mouthparts.

Are there any other insects that look like Hemiptera?

Aside from the mouthparts, various other insects can be confused with Hemiptera, but they all have biting mandibles and maxillae instead of the rostrum. Examples include cockroaches and psocids, both of which have longer, many-segmented antennae, and some beetles, but these have fully hardened forewings which do not overlap.

How do you identify Hemiptera?

Mouth part in form of segmented beak arising from front part of the head and extending back along the ventral side of the body at times as far as the base of the hind legs. Antennae are fairly long and contain four to five segments. Compound eyes are usually well developed. Many have glands secreting unpleasant odor.

What are the characteristics of true bugs?

The True Bugs are insects that have two pairs of wings, the front or outer pair of each divided into a leathery basal part and a membranous apical part. These wing covers are held over the back and often partly folded.

What are three characteristics of true bugs?

The features that distinguish true bugs from other kinds of insects are 1) piercing, sucking mouthparts, 2) two-part forewings and 3) a triangular "scutellum" between the bases of the forewings.

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of the order Hemiptera true bugs )?

The defining feature of hemipterans is their "beak" in which the modified mandibles and maxillae form a "stylet" which is sheathed within a modified labium.

What causes Hemiptera?

Hemipterans develop by incomplete metamorphosis and young (or nymphs) generally resemble small, wingless adults in general structure although their colour and markings may be very different. In some species such as cicadas, the nymphs who are specialised for burrowing appear quite different from the adults.

What are 5 characteristics of insects?

They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae. Their blood is not totally contained in vessels; some circulates in an open cavity known as the haemocoel.

What are the example of Hemiptera?

Cimex lectulariusBrown marmorated stink bugTrue bugsAphidCicadasAuchenorr...True bugs/Lower classifications

Do Hemiptera have wings?

Hemiptera means "half wing" and refers to the fact that part of the first pair of wings is toughened and hard, while the rest of the first pair and the second pair are membranous. Hemipterans also have modified piercing and sucking mouthparts; some suck plant juices and are plant pests, while others can bite painfully.

What is the common name of insects in order to Hemiptera?

Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Aphids, Scales, and Allies)

What type of mouthparts do Hemiptera have?

All hemipteran mouthparts comprise the same basic components, a cone-shaped labrum, a tube-like, segmented labium with a deep groove on the anterior side, and a stylet fascicle consisting of two mandibular and two maxillary stylets [1,2].

What is the meaning Hemiptera?

Medical Definition of Hemiptera : a large order of insects (as the true bugs) that have mouthparts adapted to piercing and sucking and usually two pairs of wings, undergo an incomplete metamorphosis, and include many important pests.

What is the difference between Hemiptera and Homoptera?

The Homoptera are close relatives of the Hemiptera and also have piercing-sucking mouthparts. In contrast to the Hemiptera, homopteran mouthparts arise further back on the underside of the head. Those forms that have wings have ones that are uniform in structure, hence their name, Homoptera, meaning samewing.

How to identify hemiptera?

One major way to distinguish insects in the order Hemiptera is by what is called the scutellum. This is a triangle patch on the abdomen right below the thorax. This is created by the way the wings are folded across the back, and is an easy way to quickly identify Hemipterans. In the image below, the scutellum is the black triangle below the thoracic segment.

Why are hemiptera called hemiptera?

The name “hemiptera” means literally “half wing.” They have acquired this name because of an interesting characteristic on their fore wings. If you recall, a beetle’s forewings are hardened into an elytrum, which protects the hind wings folded underneath. True bugs have something similar to that, in that their forewings are only half membranous at the ends (and the hind wings are completely membranous). A picture is included below for convenience. Note the hardening at the base of the forewing.

What are the water bugs?

In addition to the land insects, many of the true bugs in the order Hemiptera are aquatic for all or at least most of their lives. Species such as the water boatmen ( Corixidae), backswimmers ( Notonectidae), giant water bugs ( Belostomatidae), and the waterscorpions ( Nepidae) have all developed adaptations to spend most of their lives underwater.

Is a bug a hexapod?

When most people see an insect, their response is “ew, a bug.” But the term “bug” is actually incorrectly used if talking about any insect besides Hemiptera. These insects, which fall into about 40,000 species, are the “true bugs” of the insect world. Although “bug” is used for any small creepy crawly wandering across the kitchen floor, scientifically a bug is just a subsection of the hexapodal arthropods. Hemipterans have a few major distinguishing characteristics that make them different from other insects.

What is the diet of hemiptera?

The beak is usually folded under the body when not in use. The diet is typically plant sap, but some hemipterans such as assassin bugs are blood-suckers, and a few are predators. Both herbivorous and predatory hemipterans inject enzymes to begin digestion extra-orally (before the food is taken into the body).

What is the difference between a hemiptera and a nymph?

Hemipterans are hemimetabolous, meaning that they do not undergo metamorphosis, the complete change of form between a larval phase and an adult phase. Instead, their young are called nymphs, and resemble the adults to a greater or lesser degree. The nymphs moult several times as they grow, and each instar resembles the adult more than the previous one. Wing buds grow in later stage nymphs; the final transformation involves little more than the development of functional wings (if they are present at all) and functioning sexual organs, with no intervening pupal stage as in holometabolous insects.

What are some examples of insects?

Many insects commonly known as "bugs", especially in American English, belong to other orders; for example, the lovebug is a fly and the May bug and ladybug are beetles. Most hemipterans feed on plants, using their sucking and piercing mouthparts to extract plant sap.

Why are cicadas used?

Among the bugs, cicadas in particular have been used as money, in folk medicine, to forecast the weather, to provide song (in China), and in folklore and myths around the world.

What is the function of a phloem feeder?

Phloem feeding hemiptera typically have symbiotic micro-organisms in their gut that help to convert amino acids. Phloem feeders produce honeydew from their anus. A variety of organisms that feed on honeydew form symbiotic associations with phloem-feeders.

What are the forewings of heteroptera?

The forewings of Hemiptera are either entirely membranous, as in the Sternorrhyncha and Auchenorrhyncha, or partially hardened, as in most Heteroptera. The name "Hemiptera" is from the Greek ἡμι- ( hemi; "half") and πτερόν ( pteron; "wing"), referring to the forewings of many heteropterans which are hardened near the base, but membranous at the ends. Wings modified in this manner are termed hemelytra (singular: hemelytron ), by analogy with the completely hardened elytra of beetles, and occur only in the suborder Heteroptera. In all suborders, the hindwings – if present at all – are entirely membranous and usually shorter than the forewings. The forewings may be held "roofwise" over the body (typical of Sternorrhyncha and Auchenorrhyncha ), or held flat on the back, with the ends overlapping (typical of Heteroptera ). The antennae in Hemiptera typically consist of four or five segments, although they can still be quite long, and the tarsi of the legs have two or three segments.

What order are heteropods in?

The Heteroptera first appeared in the Triassic. The present members of the order Hemiptera (sometimes referred to as Rhynchota) were historically placed into two orders, the so-called Homoptera and Heteroptera/Hemiptera, based on differences in wing structure and the position of the rostrum.

What is the name of the hemiptera?

The name Hemiptera means 'half wing' and all hemipterans share the following features: Oliarus lubra. 2 pairs of wings, although some species may be wingless and others have only forewings. Wings are generally membranous but in some species the forewings may be hardened at the base.

What is the proboscis of a hemiptera?

The proboscis of hemipterans contains cutting blades and a two-channelled tube. Hemipterans feed by cutting into a plant or animal and sending saliva down one of the tubes to begin digestion. The liquid food is then sucked up the other tube. Habitat.

How do hemipterans develop?

Hemipterans develop by incomplete metamorphosis and young (or nymphs) generally resemble small, wingless adults in general structure although their colour and markings may be very different. In some species such as cicadas, the nymphs who are specialised for burrowing appear quite different from the adults.

How many ocelli are there in a hemiptera?

Up to 3 ocelli present. Antennae vary and may be either short, or long and conspicuous. The young of hemipterans look like small adults. Some bugs may be mistaken for beetles but can be distinguished by their mouthparts as beetles have mandibulate mouthparts while bugs have sucking/piercing mouthparts.

Where do hemipterans live?

Habitat. Almost all hemipterans are terrestrial, although some groups of Heteroptera such as the Gerromorpha and the Nepomorpha inhabit freshwater habitats, living on the surface tension of the water and beneath its surface respectively. Most plant feeding hemipterans are found on the leaves, stems or bark of plants, ...

What is the name of the insect that eats other invertebrates?

Some species are bloodsuckers of mammals and birds while others are predators that feed on other invertebrates, including some pest species and are therefore beneficial to man. Proboscis of an assassin bug. The proboscis of hemipterans contains cutting blades and a two-channelled tube.

How many species of hemiptera are there in Australia?

Hemiptera: bugs, aphids and cicadas. The insects in this order are extremely diverse in their size, shape and colour. There are about 6000 described species in Australia, ranging in size from 1 to 110 millimetres in length.

What are the characteristics of hemiptera?

Though members of this order may look quite different from one another, Hemipterans share common characteristics. True bugs are best defined by their mouthparts, which are modified for piercing and sucking. Many members of Hemiptera feed on plant fluids like sap and require the ability to penetrate plant tissues.

What is the name of the hemiptera?

Hemiptera comes from the Greek words hemi, meaning half, and pteron, meaning wing. The name refers to the true bug's forewings, which are hardened near the base and membranous near the ends. This gives them the appearance of being a half wing. This large group of insects includes a variety of seemingly unrelated insects, from aphids to cicadas, ...

What are the different types of hemiptera?

The order Hemiptera is usually subdivided into four suborders: 1 Auchenorrhyncha – the hoppers 2 Coleorrhyncha – a single family of insects that live among mosses and liverworts 3 Heteroptera – the true bugs 4 Sternorrhyncha – aphids, scale, and mealybugs

How many ocelli do hemiptera have?

Hemipterans have compound eyes and may have as many as three ocelli (photoreceptor organs that receive light through a simple lens). The order Hemiptera is usually subdivided into four suborders: Auchenorrhyncha – the hoppers. Coleorrhyncha – a single family of insects that live among mosses and liverworts. Heteroptera – the true bugs.

How long do cicadas stay underground?

Cicadas of the genus Magicicada are famous for their odd life cycles. Cicada nymphs stay underground for 13 or 17 years after which they emerge in large numbers and with a deafening song. Females of the genus Belostoma ( giant water bugs) lay their eggs on the back of a male.

What is the name of the bug that lays eggs on floating objects?

They lay eggs on floating objects. The family Pentatomidae (better known as stink bugs) have glands in the thorax that emit a foul-smelling compound. This defense helps them repel potential predators. Cicadas of the genus Magicicada are famous for their odd life cycles.

What are the insects that are part of the hemiptera?

This large group of insects includes a variety of seemingly unrelated insects, from aphids to cicadas, and from leafhoppers to water bugs. Remarkably, these insects share certain common traits that identify them as members of the Hemiptera.

What is the order of hemiptera?

The order Hemiptera is the fifth most species rich order of insects (Cassis et al., 2007) and are best defined by their piercing and sucking mouthparts ( Carver et al., 1991; Forero, 2008 ). From antecedents with chewing mouthparts, hemipterans have evolved mandibular and maxillary stylets that form an elongate canal (enclosed by the segmented labium) through which liquid food is consumed ( Weber, 1930; Cobben, 1978; Grimaldi and Engel, 2005 ). This anatomical specialisation has not limited food breadth or habitat types that hemipterans utilise. Amongst the four hemipteran suborders, the cosmopolitan suborders Sternorrhyncha (aphids, scales and allies) and Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers, cicadas and allies) feed on seed plants and as a consequence are species rich ( Forero, 2008 ). The third of the suborders, the archaic Coleorrhyncha, feed on mosses and 34 extant species and are chiefly found in cool temperate Nothofagus forests of eastern Gondwanaland ( Burckhardt, 2009 ).

How do heteropterans affect humans?

Heteropterans mostly affect human wellbeing by damaging food and fibre crops ( Schaefer and Panizzi, 2000 ). These include global invasive species such as the Green Vegetable Bug ( Nezara viridula (Linnaeus)) that cause annualised losses in the tens of millions of dollars ( McPherson and McPherson, 2000 ). There is also evidence of a rise in transoceanic invasions of highly pestiferous heteropterans such as the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug ( Halymorpha halys (Stål)), which is transported by trade ( Hoebeke and Carter, 2003) and possibly influenced by climate change.

Where do heteropterans live?

On land, heteropterans are found from soil to canopy, with heteropteran communities that include predaceous and herbivorous lineages ( Schuh and Slater, 1995; Rider et al., 2018 ). There are ground dwelling representatives of all the land bug infraorders (Geoheteroptera), which feed on other invertebrates or post-dispersed seeds (e.g, Rhyparochromidae) ( Schuh and Slater, 1995 ). There are also numerous predaceous lineages that are minute and cryptozoic (typically between 2 and 5 mm; some <1 mm), which are found at ground level in litter, soil, rotting wood and leaf mould (Enicocephalomorpha, Dipsocoromorpha) ( Weirauch et al., 2018 ). On plants, there has been an explosive radiation of herbivorous lineages, including those that feed mostly on either leaves and stems (Cimicomorpha: Miroidea in part), fruits and seeds (Pentatomomorpha) and specialised root feeding (Cydnidae) ( Weirauch et al., 2018; Rider et al., 2018 ). Plant feeding is not only specialised in terms of tissue type, as there are also many land bug lineages that display host plant conservatism, or preferential host switching, indicative of coevolution in the broad sense (e.g., Symonds and Cassis, 2018 – Miridae: Orthotylinae associated with southern conifers). Herbivorous insects on plants are subject to predation by independently derived heteropteran lineages (e.g., Miridae: Deraeocorinae, Cimicoidea, Naboidea, Geocoridae, Pentatomidae: Asopinae) ( Wheeler, 2001 ). The assassin bug family Reduviidae is foremost amongst them ( Weirauch, 2008; Weirauch and Munro, 2009 ), including the notorious Triatominae known for blood feeding in Latin American that causes significant human morbidity and mortality through the vectoring of trypanosomes that cause Chagas disease ( Lent and Wygodzinsky, 1979 ).

What is the only insect virus that is found in vertebrates?

The only recorded insect virus isolate from a hemipteran affecting vertebrates is Triatoma virus, which was isolated from a species in Argentina which transmits the human protozoan parasite which causes Chagas' disease. Although some physical characters have been described there are no reports of attempts to infect cell lines.

What do aphids eat?

Aphids are small (1.5–3.5 mm), soft-bodied insects (Blackman and Eastop, 2000) that feed exclusively on sap from the vascular tissues of plants, mainly the phloem.

What are the insects that eat plant sap?

The Hemiptera comprise insects of the major suborders Auchenorrhyncha (cicadas, spittlebugs, leafhoppers, and planthoppers) and Sternorrhyncha (aphids and white flies) that feed almost exclusively on plant sap, and Heteroptera (e.g., assassin bugs, plant bugs, stink bugs, and lygaeid bugs) that are adapted to different diets.

Where did Himetobi P come from?

Himetobi P virus (HiPV) was originally isolated from the leafhopper Laodelphax striatellus (called ‘himetobi’ in Japan) but subsequently detected in laboratory and field populations of other species. The virus NVV-1 has been isolated from another leafhopper, Nezara viridula. A VP4 has not been recorded for either of these viruses nor have they apparently been tested in the several leafhopper cells lines described so, again, these viruses cannot be classified at this time.

What does "hemiptera" mean?

Hemiptera means "half-wings", referring to how the wings overlap and how they are made of two dissimilar halves. (Slater and Baranowski, 1978)

What is the predatory hemiptera?

Predatory Hemiptera have also been used in agricultural systems to control pests (Coll and Ruberson, 1998). Called the true bugs, insects in the order hemiptera have a particular structure of the front wings from which the order gets its name. Basal portion of the front wing is thickened and leathery.

What are the parts of a nymph's mouth?

Mouthparts highly modified for piercing and sucking. The mandibles and maxillae form 4 piercing stylets within the beak (labium), which arises form the front of the head. The antennae are 4-5 segmented. Nymphs have external wingpads (sometimes absent) and unsegmented tarsi.

How do semiaquatic fish use their mouthparts?

They use the piercing mouthparts to penetrate the prey , inject hydrolytic enzymes and suck out the juices. Many have raptorial forelegs to help handle the prey. Many are very fierce taking large prey and causing painful bites. Semiaquatic species feed from the surface or just below the surface.

How many families of hemiptera are there?

They are found all over the world; there are few habitats without a Hemiptera adapted to living there. There are 80,000 described species in 37 families. The order is divided into three suborders: Geocorizae (terrestrial bugs), Amphibicorizae ...

What are the three suborders of hemiptera?

The order is divided into three suborders: Geocorizae (terrestrial bugs), Amphibicorizae (semiaquatic or shore-inhabiting bugs), and Hydrocorizae (aquatic bugs). Hemiptera are also important in agriculture, known to cause direct damage to plants by herbivory and indirectly by transporting diseases (Dooling, 1991).

What is the apical portion of a wing called?

Basal portion of the front wing is thickened and leathery. Apical portion is membranous (this type of wing is called hemelytron, or hemelytran if single) Hind wings are completely membranous and shorter than the front wings. Wings at rest are held over the abdomen with membranous tips overlapping.

Overview

Biology

Diversity

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Locomotion

Ecological roles

Interaction with humans

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