The Pentatomoidea are a superfamily of insects in the suborder Heteroptera of the order Hemiptera. As hemipterans, they possess a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts. The roughly 7000 species under Pentatomoidea are divided into 21 families. Among these are the stink bugs and shield bugs, jewel bugs, giant shield bugs, and burrower bugs.
The Reduviidae is a large cosmopolitan family of the suborder Heteroptera of the order Hemiptera. Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush predators; most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic. The main examples of nonpredatory Reduviidae are some blood-sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae. Though spectacular exceptions are known, most members of the family are fairly easily recognizable; they have a relatively narrow neck, sturdy build, and a formidable curved proboscis. Large specimens should be handled with caution, if at all, because they sometimes defend themselves with a very painful stab from the proboscis.
The western conifer seed bug, often mistakenly referred to as stink bug, sometimes abbreviated as WCSB, is a species of true bug (Hemiptera) in the family Coreidae. It is native to North America west of the Rocky Mountains but has in recent times expanded its range to eastern North America, to include Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Michigan, Maine, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and has become an accidental introduced species in parts of Europe and Argentina.
The Emesinae, or thread-legged bugs, are a subfamily of the Reduviidae. They are conspicuously different from the other reduviids by their very slender body form. They are stalking, predatory insects that can be collected on palm fronds, cliffs, spider webbing, or near lights at night. They walk on their mid and hind legs; the front pair is raptorial. Some groups specialize on spiders. Very little is known about emesines except that many species are found in the tropics. Pedro Wygodzinsky wrote the most recent revision of this group.
Apiomerus is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent habit of sitting and waiting upon flowers and taking bees as prey. The bright colors are aposematic, likely a warning to larger predators that a painful bite can be delivered.
Ploiaria is a cosmopolitan genus of thread-legged bugs (Emesinae). There are presently about 130 described species.
Stenolemus is a genus of thread-legged bug (Emesinae). Species of this genus are noted for preying on spiders.
Bagauda is a genus of thread-legged bug in the Emesinae. 18 species are currently known. Many of the species of this genus are associated with caves, some exclusively so. Bagauda is synonymous with the genus Pleias Kirkaldy, 1901, but Bagauda has become more widely used. The genus is restricted to Old World tropics.
Onychomesa is a little-known genus of thread-legged bug in the subfamily Emesinae. Three species have been described, one from India, Japan, and Taiwan.
The Collartidini is a tribe of thread-legged bugs restricted to Africa, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. Wygodzinsky (1966) proposed that this group is the sister group of the remaining Emesinae.
The Ectrichodiinae are a subfamily of assassin bugs (Reduviidae) known for specializing on millipedes as prey. The group comprises more than 600 species in about 115 genera, making it a fairly large subfamily. The bugs are also known for their aposematic coloration, often brightly colored metallic blue, red, or yellow.
The Centrocnemidinae are a subfamily of the reduviid, found exclusively on tree trunks, where their bodies camouflage well. There are four genera with about 34 species described.
The Reduviinae are a subfamily of the reduviid assassin bugs. Many members of the subfamily are nocturnal and their lifecycles are generally poorly known. This subfamily is suspected not to be monophyletic.
Austrokatanga monteithi is a species of assassin bug, the sole member of its genus, in the subfamily Ectrichodiinae of Reduviidae. This species is found in Australia.
Collartida is a genus of assassin bugs. The genus was thought to be restricted to Africa, Israel and the Canary Islands, but a newly discovered species was recently reported from Taiwan. The genus now consists of 10 species.
Bagauda zigzag is a species of assassin bug discovered in Taiwan in 2007 in an area of uplifted coral reef forest. One individual was observed to prey upon a spider. The species is nocturnal and individuals were most commonly found on Chinese banyan and King fig (Moraceae).
Schidium is a large genus within the subfamily Emesinae, distributed in the Palaearctic, Afrotropical, Oriental, and Australian Regions.
Acanthosoma is a genus of shield bugs in the family Acanthosomatidae, found in Europe, Asia, and Oceania. There are more than 20 described species in Acanthosoma.
Acanthaspis quinquespinosa is a species of assassin bug found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Tibet. It is a predator, and both nymphs and adults feed on termites, beetles, caterpillars and other insect prey.
Rihirbus is a genus of assassin bug from the tropical parts of the Oriental region. They belong to the Harpactorinae and the genus is unique in having the fore tibiae with incurved tips and the apex having a long tooth. They show sexual dimorphism and are polymorphic making their identification to species complicated. Females are larger and wider. R. trochantericus takes about 49 days to develop from egg to adult in southern India.
