The

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Nabidae contains the damsel bugs. There are over 500 species in 20 genera. They are soft-bodied, elongate, winged terrestrial predators. Many damsel bugs catch and hold prey with their forelegs, similar to

mantids Mantidae is one of the largest family (biology), families in the Order (biology), order of Mantodea, praying mantises, based on the type species ''Mantis religiosa''; most genera are tropical or subtropical. Historically, this was the only family ...

. They are considered helpful species in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

because of their predation on many types of crop pests. Damsel bugs of the genus ''Nabis'' are the most common. They and other genera are most numerous in fields of

legumes Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consu ...

such as

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...

, but they can be found in many other crops and in non-cultivated areas. They are yellow to tan in color and have large, bulbous eyes and stiltlike legs. They are generalist predators, catching almost any insect smaller than themselves, and cannibalizing each other when no other food is available. Several species have bitten humans.Faúndez, E. I. & M. A. Carvajal. 2011. A human case of bitting by Nabis punctipennis (Hemíptera: Heteroptera: Nabidae) in Chile. Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, 51(2): 407-409. Members of the subfamily Prostemmatinae reproduce by

traumatic insemination Traumatic insemination, also known as hypodermic insemination, is the mating practice in some species of invertebrates in which the male pierces the female's abdomen with his aedeagus and injects his sperm through the wound into her abdominal ca ...

Genera

These 23 genera belong to the family Nabidae: * ''

Alloeorhynchus ''Alloeorhynchus'' is a genus of damsel bugs in the family Nabidae The insecta, insect family (biology), family Nabidae contains the damsel bugs. There are over 500 species in 20 genera. They are soft-bodied, elongate, winged terrestrial p ...

'' Fieber, 1860^{i c g b} * '' Alloeorrhynchus''^{c g} * '' Anaptus'' Kerzhner, 1968^{i c g} * ''

Arachnocoris ''Arachnocoris'' is a small genus of true bugs found in the Neotropics, including French Guyana and West Indies (André Lopez). It is often found living in the webs of the pholcid spider '' Mesabolivar aurantiacus'' ( Mello-Leitão, 1930).Sewla ...

'' Scott, 1881^g * ''

Arbela Arbela may refer to: Places * Greco-Roman name of the city of Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq * Arbel, Israel * Irbid, Jordan * Arbela, Ohio, United States * Arbela Township, Michigan, United States * Arbela, Missouri, United States Other uses ...

'' Stål, 1865^g * ''

Carthasis ''Carthasis'' is a genus of damsel bugs in the family Nabidae The insecta, insect family (biology), family Nabidae contains the damsel bugs. There are over 500 species in 20 genera. They are soft-bodied, elongate, winged terrestrial predat ...

'' Champion, 1900^{i c g b} * '' Gorpis'' Stål, 1859^g * ''

Himacerus ''Himacerus'' is a genus of damsel bugs belonging to the family Nabidae, subfamily Nabinae. Species * ''Himacerus apterus ''Himacerus apterus'', known as the tree damsel bug, is a species of damsel bug belonging to the family Nabidae, subfam ...

'' Wolff, 1811^{i c g b} * ''

Hoplistoscelis ''Hoplistoscelis'' is a genus of damsel bugs in the family Nabidae The insecta, insect family (biology), family Nabidae contains the damsel bugs. There are over 500 species in 20 genera. They are soft-bodied, elongate, winged terrestrial p ...

'' Reuter, 1890^{i c g b} * '' Karanabis'' Bekker-Migdisova, 1963^g * ''

Lasiomerus ''Lasiomerus'' is a genus of damsel bugs in the family Nabidae. There are at least four described species in ''Lasiomerus''. Species These four species belong to the genus ''Lasiomerus'': * '' Lasiomerus andabata'' Kerzhner, 1992 * '' Lasiomeru ...

'' Reuter, 1890^{i c g b} * ''

Metatropiphorus ''Metatropiphorus'' is a genus of damsel bugs in the family Nabidae The insecta, insect family (biology), family Nabidae contains the damsel bugs. There are over 500 species in 20 genera. They are soft-bodied, elongate, winged terrestrial ...

'' Reuter, 1872^{i c g b} * '' Nabicula'' Kirby, 1837^{i c g} * ''

Nabis Nabis may refer to: * Nabis of Sparta, reigned 207–192 BCE * Nabis (art), a Parisian post-Impressionist artistic group * ''Nabis'' (bug), a genus of insects * NABIS, National Ballistics Intelligence Service, a British government agency See a ...

'' Latreille, 1802^{i c g b} * '' Omanonabis'' Asquith and Lattin, 1991^{i c g} * ''

Pagasa The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (, abbreviated as PAGASA , which means "hope" as in the Tagalog language, Tagalog word ''pag-asa'') is the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS ...

'' Stål, 1862^{i c g b} * '' Phorticus'' Stål, 1860^{i c g b} * '' Praecarthasis'' Kerzhner, 1986^g * '' Prostemma'' Laporte, 1832^g * '' Reduviolus'' Kirby, 1837^g * ''

Rhamphocoris ''Rhamphocoris''Kirkaldy (1901) ''Wien. Ent. Ztg.'', 20. is an Asian and Australian genus of Heteroptera, bugs in the family Nabidae, subfamily Prostemmatinae and Tribe (biology), tribe Phorticini. Species Known species include: * ''Rhamphocoris ...

'' Kirkaldy, 1901^g * '' Stalia'' * '' Stenonabis'' Reuter, 1890^g Data sources: i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.net

Evolutionary history

Several fossil genera have been attributed to the family, including '' Karanabis'' from the Upper Jurassic

Karabastau Formation The Karabastau Formation () is a geological formation and lagerstätte in the Karatau Mountains of southern Kazakhstan whose strata date to the Middle to Late Jurassic. It is an important locality for insect fossils that has been studied since ...

of Kazakhstan, but it has subsequently been assigned to other families. The earliest definitive record of the family is '' Cretanazgul'' from the

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

aged

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. Th ...

of Myanmar, belonging to the subfamily Prostemmatinae.

References

External links

Damsel bugs of Britain

{{Authority control Insects used as insect pest control agents Heteroptera families Taxa named by Achille Costa