The Lygaeidae are a family in the

Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from ...

(true bugs), with more than 110

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

in four subfamilies. The family is commonly referred to as seed bugs, and less commonly, milkweed bugs, or ground bugs. Many species feed on seeds, some on sap or seed pods, others are

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize t ...

s and a few, such as the wekiu bug, are insectivores. Insects in this family are distributed across the world. The family was vastly larger, but numerous former subfamilies have been removed and given independent family status, including the Artheneidae,

Blissidae The Blissidae are a family in the Hemiptera (true bugs), comprising nearly 50 genera and 400 species. The group has often been treated as a subfamily of the Lygaeidae but was resurrected as a full family by Thomas Henry (1997). The adult insects ...

, Cryptorhamphidae, Cymidae, Geocoridae, Heterogastridae, Ninidae,

Oxycarenidae Oxycarenidae is a family of true bugs in the order Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, ass ...

and

Rhyparochromidae The Rhyparochromidae are a large family (biology), family of true bugs (order Hemiptera). Many species under Rhyparochromidae are commonly referred to as seed bug (disambiguation), seed bugs, as are other species within the wider Pentatomomorpha ...

, which together constituted well over half of the former family. The bizarre and mysterious

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

-like Psamminae were formerly often placed in the

Piesmatidae Piesmatidae is a small family of true bugs, commonly called ash-grey leaf bugs. The Piesmatidae are distributed mostly in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with some occurring in Africa, Australia and South America. A common species found through ...

, but this is almost certainly incorrect. Their true affiliations are not entirely resolved.

Distinguishing characteristics

Lygaeidae are oval or elongate in body shape and have four-segmented antennae. Lygaeidae can be distinguished from

Miridae The Miridae are a large and diverse insect family at one time known by the Synonym (taxonomy), taxonomic synonym Capsidae. Species in the family may be referred to as capsid bugs or "mirid bugs". Common names include plant bugs, leaf bugs, and g ...

(plant bugs) by the presence of

ocelli A simple eye or ocellus (sometimes called a pigment pit) is a form of eye or an optical arrangement which has a single lens without the sort of elaborate retina that occurs in most vertebrates. These eyes are called "simple" to distinguish the ...

, or simple eyes. They are distinguished from

Coreidae Coreidae is a large family (biology), family of predominantly sap-sucking insects in the Hemipteran suborder Heteroptera. The name "Coreidae" derives from the genus ''Coreus'', which derives from the Ancient Greek () meaning bedbug. As a fam ...

(squash bugs) by the number of veins in the membrane of the front wings, as Lygaeidae have only four or five veins.

Subfamilies and selected genera

An incomplete

list of Lygaeidae genera These 114 genera belong to the family Lygaeidae, seed bugs. There are at least 980 described species in Lygaeidae. Lygaeidae genera * ''Aborsillus'' Barber, 1954 * ''Acanthocrompus'' Scudder, 1958 * ''Achlyosomus'' Slater Alex, 1992 * ''Acrobrac ...

is subdivided as:BioLb.cz
family ground bugs: Lygaeidae Schilling, 1829 (retrieved 26 October 2021) ;subfamily Ischnorhynchinae Stål, 1872 * '' Crompus'' Stål, 1874 * '' Kleidocerys'' Stephens, 1829 ;subfamily Lygaeinae Schilling, 1829 * '' Lygaeus'' Fabricius, 1794 * ''

Oncopeltus ''Oncopeltus'' is a genus of seed bugs in the family Lygaeidae, which has at least 40 described species. Species These 40 species belong to the genus ''Oncopeltus'': * '' Oncopeltus atrorufus'' (Guerin, 1838) * '' Oncopeltus aulicus'' Fabrici ...

'' Stål, 1868 * '' Melanocoryphus'' Stål, 1872 * '' Spilostethus'' Stål, 1868 * '' Tropidothorax'' Bergroth, 1894 ;subfamily Orsillinae Stål, 1872 * '' Nysius'' Dallas, 1852 * '' Orsillus'' Dallas, 1852 ;subfamily † Lygaenocorinae ;Unplaced genera * '' Lygaeites'' Heer, 1853 The Pachygronthinae Stål, 1865 (type genus '' Pachygrontha'' Germar, 1840) may be placed here or elevated to the family Pachygronthidae.

Gallery

File:Lygaeus turcicus.9.17.08w.jpg, False milkweed bug, '' Lygaeus turcicus'', on Asteraceae flower File:Small Milkweed Bugs.jpg, Small milkweed bug, '' Lygaeus kalmii''), nymph (bottom) and mature (top) File:Milkweed bug on a butterfly weed.jpg, Large milkweed bug, ''

Oncopeltus fasciatus ''Oncopeltus fasciatus'', known as the large milkweed bug, is a medium-sized hemipteran (true bug) of the family Lygaeidae.Attisano, A. (2013) Oosorption and migratory strategy of the milkweed bug,''Oncopeltus fasciatus. Animal Behaviour 86(3):65 ...

'', on a butterfly weed File:Oncopeltus varicolor ssp. stalii.jpg, ''

varicolor'' ssp. ''stalii'' File:Milkweed bug drilling.webm, thumbtime=2,

Large milkweed bug ''Oncopeltus fasciatus'', known as the large milkweed bug, is a medium-sized hemipteran (true bug) of the family Lygaeidae.Attisano, A. (2013) Oosorption and migratory strategy of the milkweed bug,''Oncopeltus fasciatus. Animal Behaviour 86(3):65 ...

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

feeding Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food. In biology, this is typically done to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and nutrients and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive – ...

milkweed ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to huma ...

before extracting its stylet, sheathing it again in its

rostrum Rostrum may refer to: * Any kind of a platform for a speaker: **dais **pulpit ** podium * Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects * Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ...

References

External links

''Lygaeidae''
BugGuide {{Authority control Heteroptera families