British Insects: the Families of Hemiptera
| British Insects: the Families of Hemiptera | |
Shield-bugs, Stink Bugs.
Salient features of adults. Terrestrial.
Phytophagous (mostly), or predacious (on slow-moving insects). Small to large; 4–14 mm long; fliers; emitting repugnatorial liquid as a defence reaction; relatively stout bodied. Rostrum clearly separated ventrally from the prosternum by a sclerotized gula. Antennae from the lower part of the head; longer than the head, readily visible from above; usually 5 segmented; non-aristate. Ocelli usually present. Scutellum very large (sometimes enormous, sometimes extending to the end of the abdomen). Metathorax with a scent-gland opening, comprising a funnel surrounded by a dull patch of elaborately sculptured cuticle, visible laterally on either side. Fore-wings well developed; in the resting insect lying more or less flat over the abdomen; differentiated into a basally thickened and a distally membranous region; with a clavus. Tarsi 3 segmented. Pulvilli present. The abdomen without ventral silvery pubescence.
Comments. Cospicuously hairy bugs, often brown; bases of antennae concealed by side-margins of head; corium bases reaching the sides of the body to form epipleura; seven abdominal tergites visible. Species with the scutellum extending the full length of the abdomen are distinguished from Scutelleridae by possesion of slender, pointed anterior projections from the lateral margins of the pronotum to near the eyes.
Taxonomy. Suborder Heteroptera; Pentatomoidea.
British representation. Genera about 18; about 22 species.
Comments. In late summer, some Pentatominae transfer their attentions to developing and ripe fruit, and if not excluded on harvesting can it by the nauseous discharge from their metathoracic glands.
Illustrations: • Zicrona caerulea (Blue Shield-bug: B. Ent. 20). • Zicrona caerulea (detail: B. Ent. 20). • Zicrona caerulea (dissections: B. Ent. 20). • Zicrona caerulea (legend+text: B. Ent. 20). • Zicrona caerulea (text: B. Ent. 20, cont.).
The interactive key offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Hemiptera. Version: 9th April 2007. http://delta-intkey.com’.
