Africa Wild Insect Book Hemiptera, Heteroptera Typical Bugs

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Toko
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Africa Wild Insect Book Hemiptera, Heteroptera Typical Bugs

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Africa Wild Insect Book: Order Hemiptera, Infraorder Heteroptera (Typical Bugs)

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Index to Hemiptera, Infraorder Heteroptera

Post by Toko »

Index to Hemiptera, Infraorder Heteroptera
(Arranged according to Tree of Life Web Project)


Gerromorpha
Superfamily Gerroidea
Family Gerridae (Pondskaters)
Limnogonus sp. Pond Skater viewtopic.php?p=203880#p203880
Pond Skater viewtopic.php?p=232972#p232972

Nepomorpha
Superfamily Notonectoidea
Family: Notonectidae (Backswimmers)
Enithares sp. Backswimmer viewtopic.php?p=232975#p232975

Pentatomomorpha
Superfamily: Coreoidea (Leaf-footed Bugs and Allies)
Family: Coreidae (Lef-footed Bugs)
Carlisis wahlbergi Gardenia Twig Wilter viewtopic.php?p=528611#p528611
Superfamily: Lygaeoidea
Family: Berytidae (Stiltbugs)
Metacanthus sp. Stilt Bug viewtopic.php?p=232977#p232977
Family: Lygaeidae (Seedbugs)
Haemobaphus concinnus Milkweed Bug viewtopic.php?p=232988#p232988
Oncopeltus famelicus Milkweed Bug viewtopic.php?p=232980#p232980
Spilostethus furculus Milkweed Bug viewtopic.php?p=232985#p232985
Spilostethus macilentus Milkweed Bug viewtopic.php?p=498884#p498884
Family: Rhopalidae (Scentless Plant Bugs)
Leptocoris mutilatus Soapberry Bug viewtopic.php?p=232992#p232992
Family: Rhyparochromidae (Seed Bugs)
Lethaeus africanus Seed Bug viewtopic.php?p=490543#p490543
Superfamily: Pyrrhocoroidea
Family Pyrrhocoridae
Cenaeus carnifex Red bug viewtopic.php?p=232997#p232997
Superfamily: Pentatomoidea (Shieldbugs)
Family: Acanthosomatidae
Family: Dinidoridae (Cucumberbugs)
Coridius nubilis Stink Bug viewtopic.php?p=233025#p233025
Family: Scutelleridae
Calidea dregii Rainbow Shield Bug, Blue-green Cotton Bug viewtopic.php?p=233038#p233038
Sphaerocoris annulus Picasso Bug viewtopic.php?p=538276#p538276
Steganocerus multipunctatus Ladybird Bug viewtopic.php?p=233040#p233040
Family: Pentatomidae
Acrosternum millierei Green Stink Bug viewtopic.php?p=233065#p233065
Agonoscelis puberula African Cluster Bug viewtopic.php?p=233074#p233074
Basicryptus costalis Brown Shield Bug viewtopic.php?p=526153#p526153
Basicryptus sp. Shield Bug viewtopic.php?p=233076#p233076
Coenomorpha nervosa Brown Stink Bug viewtopic.php?p=530075#p530075
Nezara viridula Green Vegetable Bug, Southern Green Shieldbug viewtopic.php?p=233078#p233078
Pseudatelus notatipennis Stink Bug viewtopic.php?p=233079#p233079
Pseudatelus spinulosa Stink Bug viewtopic.php?p=489995#p489995
Pseudatelus sp. Stink Bug viewtopic.php?p=233080#p233080
Pseudatelus sp. nymphs viewtopic.php?p=233007#p233007
Stink Bug Nymph viewtopic.php?p=530073#p530073

Cimicomorpha
Superfamily Miroidea
Family Miridae
Plant Bug viewtopic.php?p=528589#p528589
Superfamily: Reduvioidea (Assassinbugs)
Family Reduviidae
Subfamily Harpactorinae
Phonoctonus sp. Cotton-stainer Assassin viewtopic.php?p=233082#p233082
Rhynocoris tristis Assassin Bug viewtopic.php?p=487764#p487764
Subfamily Ectrichodiinae
Millipede Assassin Bug viewtopic.php?p=258679#p258679
Subfamily Holoptilinae
Holoptilus nebulosus Ant wolf or Feather-legged Bug viewtopic.php?p=304266#p304266
Subfamily Reduviinae
Platymeris guttatipennis Giant Assassin Bug viewtopic.php?p=554638#p554638


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AW Insect Book: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerridae

Post by Toko »

Family Gerridae (Pond Skaters, Water Striders)
The Gerridae, known as water striders or pond skaters, spend nearly their entire lives on the open water surface. They are medium to large (body length 5-20 mm) with compact bodies and very elongate legs that row them across water at high speed. Only the middle legs are used for locomotion. Fore legs are held close to the body. The forelegs are used for feeding and mating. Vibrations from struggling prey are detected through the fore legs, as are vibrational signals from potential mates. The fore legs also used to subdue prey. Claws are bent behind tarsi, and tips of legs carry a patch of water-repellant hairs. Often wingless, but winged forms fly well.
One main characteristic that sets gerrids and other true bugs apart from other insects is that the front wing is only half functional. Rather than using it for flight, it acts as a membranous covering and the thickened part is by where claws develop. Consistent with the classification of Gerridae as true bugs, gerrids have a mouthpart evolved for piercing and sucking, gerrids distinguish themselves by having the unique ability to walk on water. Gerridae, or water striders, are anatomically built to transfer their weight to be able to run on top of the water's surface. As a result, one could likely find water striders present in any pond, river, or lake. Scientists have identified over 1,700 species of gerrids, 10% of them being marine.

Checklist: The Pondskaters (Hemiptera: Gerridae) of South Africa


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AW Insect Book: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerridae

Post by BluTuna »

Pond Skater possibly Limnogonus sp.
Family: Gerridae. Subfamily Gerrinae

Image © BluTuna
Adult. Kruger National Park, Mopani

The family Gerridae includes water striders belonging to the superfamily Gerroidea, which dwells on surface of water and usually most frequent in late summer. These are predatory bugs, which sucks body fluids of live and partly dead insects. The secretions from the thoracic scent gland protect the water striders from predation by other organisms.They occur in diverse habitats both in lentic (lakes, ponds, pools, reservoirs, agricultural fields and temporary waters due to rain) and lotic ecosystems (streams, seepage, springs, rivers and irrigation canals). Gerridae is characterized by the hind femur surpassing the apex of abdomen.

Pond skaters of the genus Limnogonus are usually dimorphic (winged and wingless individuals occur). Body elongated, dark above with distinct yellow lines, pronotal lobe with pale median, longitudinal stripe throughout, pale lateral stripes continue anteriorly. Antennae are long and slender. Forewings clearly surpassing end of abdomen in both sexes.
Limnogonus STAL 1868 is a tropicopolitan genus, the species of which inhabit stagnant waters (lakes, ponds, pools, paddy fields, etc.) or the lentic areas of running waters. Because of their ability to fly and, subsequently, to populate periodical water habitats, many species are widely distributed. Wing polymorphism leads to intraspecific variation of thoracic structures and thus complicates the taxonomy. The high frequency of the macropterous (winged) morph in most species of Limnogonus is probably an adaptation to escape drought and to allow colonization of new and temporary water bodies when the rainy season appears.

Image © ExFmem
Adult. Kruger National Park

Image © ExFmem


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AW Insect Book: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerridae

Post by BluTuna »

Pond Skater
Family: Gerridae

Image © BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg

Image © BluTuna

Image © BluTuna
Nymph


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AW Insect Book: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Notonectidae

Post by Toko »

Family Notonectidae (Backswimmers)
Notonectidae is a cosmopolitan family of aquatic insects, commonly called backswimmers because they swim upside down. They are small to medium-sized (body length 4-12 mm) voracious predators. Unlike corixids, they orientate with the convex and keel-shaped underside facing upwards. They swim using the fringed hind legs.
They trap air in pockets in the abdomen and can stay submerged for up to six hours. These aquatic insects typically spend their time at the water's surface, using their abdomen and legs to cling to the underside of the surface tension. They are all aquatic predators, up to nearly 2 cm in size. Their dorsum convex is light colored without cross striations. Their front tarsi are not scoop-shaped and their hind legs are fringed for swimming. Backswimmers are predators and attack prey as large as tadpoles and small fish. They inhabit still freshwater, e.g. lakes, pools, marshes, and are sometimes found in garden ponds and swimming pools. Although primarily aquatic, they can fly well and so can disperse easily to new habitats. Often found in groups, in shaded positions in slow-flowing or stagnant water, facing at a gentle angle downwards. Dive if disturbed, but can also leap out of the water and fly away.
There are two subfamilies, Notonectinae and Anisopinae, each containing four genera. Individuals that are in the subfamily Notonectinae are distinguishable from their Anisopinae relatives by their 4-segmented beak and antennae. Insects from the subfamily Notonectinae are also larger, approximately 10–16 mm in length.

The most common genus of backswimmers is Notonecta - streamlined, deep-bodied bugs up to 16 mm long, green, brown or yellowish in colour. As the common name indicates, these aquatic insects swim on their backs, vigorously paddling with their long, hair-fringed hind legs.

Enithares backswimmers are medium-sized (body length 12 mm), robust, with dark red eyes, white thorax, and grey wings. Body broadest at head, tapering towards end. Underside uniformly dark brown.

Common backswimmers of the genus Anisops are mostly medium-sized (body length 11 mm), parallel-sided and slender, with triangular orange scutellum.

Links: The Backswimmers (Hemiptera- Notonectidae) of South Africa


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AW Insect Book: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Notonectidae

Post by BluTuna »

Backswimmer possibly Enithares sp.
Family: Notonectidae

Image © BluTuna

Image © BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg


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AW Insect Book: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Berytidae

Post by Toko »

Family Berytidae (Thread Bugs, Stilt Bugs)
The Berytidae are members of the Lygaeoidea. Small and slender, very delicate, with elongate body, limbs and antennae. Antennae have four segments, the first segment extremely long, the fourth enlarged. Ocelli are present. The scutellum is triangular. Ends of femora thickened, giving a knob-kneed appearance Elbowed antennae also clubbed at tips.
There are only 15 described species in Southern Africa.


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AW Insect Book: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Berytidae

Post by BluTuna »

Stilt Bug Metacanthus sp.
Family: Berytidae. Subfamily: Metacanthinae

Image

Image
Garden in Johannesburg

Description
Metacanthus are typical, small (body length 5 mm) with green abdomen and tan thorax, and black swollen clubs at end of antennae.

Habitat
On grasses and tree trunks.


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AW Insect Book: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Lygaeidae

Post by Toko »

Family Lygaeidae (Seed Bugs, Ground Bugs)
The Lygaeidae are members of the Lygaeoidea. A large family of medium-sized, usually quite slender or oval bugs capable of producing the classic bug stink. Most members of this family, the second largest in the order, feed on seeds by injecting salvia and sucking out the partly digested parts. Some species feed on insects. They can be distinguished from members of most similar families by the presence of simple eyes and by the veins in the membrane of each forewing. Under magnification can be seen to have only 3-4 (often faint) longitudinal veins on the soft membranous part of fore wings, thus distinguishable from Coreidae, which have at least 6 veins. Wings may be reduced, especially in ground-dwelling species.
About 400 species are known from the region, with many cosmopolitan genera.


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