They can be further divided into 3 groups based on the niche they favour and the adaptations they exhibit. They have been included in this guide because they are often found in aquatic samples. Bugs generally form a small part of fish diet although some species will defend themselves by secreting a noxious substance from scent glands.
In turn hemipterans can significantly influence populations of other aquatic insects and even small fish by predation. Notonectidae Ochteridae Pleidae Saldidae Veliidae. Distribution : Australia wide. Disclaimer Statement. Print This Page. Major Groups Insecta insects Hemiptera bugs. Auchenorrhyncha The hoppers have forewings that are uniform in texture and are held like a tent over the abdomen. The head and proboscis point down and back.
Sternorrhyncha Aphids, scale, lerps and mealy bugs usually have soft bodies and most species are wingless. Their heads and proboscis' point down and back. They often cover themselves with wax or froth which prevents their soft bodies from drying out. Life Cycle 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. Nymphs will moult 6 to 8 times depending on the species before they attain maturity. Feeding Most species of Hemiptera are plant feeders, sucking sap with many causing considerable damage to crops, ornamental garden plants such as roses, shrubs and trees.
Instead they drum their bodies on branches and twigs. Some species of true bugs are mimics, they pretend to be ants, and sneak into ant nests to eat ant larvae.
True bugs take liquid food from plants or animals. Some suck plant sap, others dissolve seeds, some sip out the juice from cells in the leaves. Many true bugs are predators, stabbing their prey usually other insects , sometimes other animals including vertebrates, like mammals and birds , snails , or spiders and sucking out their blood or body fluids.
For example, stink bugs feed on caterpillars and some aquatic bugs feed on mosquito larvae. Bed bugs are a parasitic member of the true bug group -- the feed on mammal blood, including humans. Different true bugs have different defenses against predators. Most true bugs have camouflage colors so predators can't see them easily. Many have glands that produce chemicals that smell or taste bad. This repels predators. If they have strong chemical defense, they may have warning colors instead of camouflage.
A few true bugs mimic other more dangerous insects, like ants or wasps. Some of the predatory true bugs can bite. Adult true bugs will fly away if they can. True Bugs are consumers. Some are herbivores, some are predators, some are parasites. Some species of true bugs feed on the blood of mammals, including people.
Bed bugs are true bugs. One group of species in Central and South America carry a dangerous disease from one person to another. The bites and droppings of other species cause skin irritations.
Many plant-sucking bugs cause damage to crops and landscaping. For example aphids are major pests of many food plants. The forewings have a unique structure in that most of the forewing is thickened and usually coloured, while the tip is membranous and often colourless.
This feature gave the name Hemiptera half-wing to the order as a whole. When the forewings are folded back over the membranous hind wings, the tips of the forewings form a diamond shape that is distinctly different from the rest of the wings. Representative Auchenorrhychans.
Left: Froghopper Philaenus spumarius. Centre: Leafhopper Kybos populi and Right:. This sub-order contains a number of small-bodied but important families, some of which like aphids and whiteflies are all too familiar to the gardener. All of them feed by sucking sap from plants. We have pages on the Aphids , Adelgids , Psyllids , whiteflies , scale insects and mealybugs. Other sources of information. Website of British Bugs. It's a Bug's Life.
UK Hemiptera Facebook group. Jeremy Early's photographs. Unwin, D.
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