|
|
ARTHROPODS:
Insects»
Spiders»
Centipedes»
Millipedes»
Sowbugs»
Harvestmen»
Mites
& Ticks»
Scorpions»
Identification
Tips»
About
the Critter Files»
Links» |
|
|
|
| |
| WHAT
IS A TRUE BUG? |
|
Although
many insects are referred to as "bugs," only the insects
in the order Hemiptera are "True Bugs." True bugs,
often called "hemipterans," are distinguished from other
insects by a combination of unique features.
Hemipterans have piercing-and-sucking
mouthparts, which work like a straw. Plant-feeding true bugs
use their mouthparts to suck plant sap, and carnivorous bugs use
their mouthparts to suck body fluids from insects and other small
animals. A few parasitic bugs use their mouthparts to suck
blood from mammals. |
| |
|
"Beak"
of a true bug (B. Newton, 2003) |
Left: Close-up
of an insect in the order Hemiptera. Note the piercing and sucking
beak. Most insects in the order Hemiptera are able to fold their
beaks under their bodies when not feeding, as this plant bug is doing. |
| |
True bugs
also have "hemielytra." Hemielytra are similar to
the hard wings (called "elytra") found on beetles,
but on hemielytra only half of the wing (the half closest to the
body) is hardened, while the other half is clear and membranous.
All true bugs go through a simple metamorphosis, with egg,
nymph, and adult stages. Nymphs resemble small adults, except
without wings.
The true bugs are a diverse
group. Stink bugs, assassin bugs, giant water bugs, bed bugs,
and many other unusual insects belong to this order. Click
on the pictures above to learn more about different kinds of true
bugs. |
|
Original document: 25 May 2004
Last updated: 26 April 2005
Photos courtesy R.
Bessin and B. Newton, University of Kentucky
The Kentucky Critter Files are maintained by Blake Newton, Department
of Entomology, University of Kentucky.
Contact: blaken@uky.edu
|
|
