Sub-order: Heteroptera (true bugs)
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There are some 15 families in the sub-order Heteroptera, of which the most familiar are the 4 families of Shieldbugs.
There are around 8 species of Shieldbug found in Scotland. They look somewhat like beetles but have sucking mouthparts instead of mandibles
and their young (called nymphs) pass through several moults, becoming more like adults at each stage.
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Superfamily: Pentatomoidea . . . Family: Acanthosomatidae
Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) - late instar nymph
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Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
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Superfamily: Pentatomoidea . . . Family: Pentatomidae
Spiked Shieldbug (Picromerus bidens) |
Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) |
Gorse Shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus) |
Family: Miridae
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The large and diverse insect family Miridae contains the plant bugs, leaf bugs, and grass bugs, and are also known as capsid bugs.
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Lygocoris rugicollis Found on Salix species throughout the UK.
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Closterotomus norwegicus (Potato Capsid)
This common and widespread bug can be found in meadows and hedgerows across Britain, where it feeds on a wide range of plants, especially nettles, composites and
clovers. |
Polymerus unifasciatus
var. lateralis |
Lygus wagneri
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Leptopterna ferrugata (female)
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Family: Nabidae (damsel bugs)
Marsh Damsel Bug (Nabis limbatus) - male |
Marsh Damsel Bug (Nabis limbatus) - female |
Family: Tingidae (lacebugs)
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Sub-order: Auchorrhyncha
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The Auchenorrhyncha suborder of the Hemiptera contains most of the familiar members of what was called the Homoptera –
groups such as cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers, planthoppers, and spittlebugs.
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Family: Cicadellidae (Leafhoppers)
Cicadella viridis (adult female)
Adults reach 6–9 millimetres in length, with the female being larger than the male.
They can be found in damp grassland from July to October.
The forewings are turquoise green in the females, but much darker in the males.
They feed on the sap of various species of herbaceous plants, mainly Juncus and Carex.
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Evacanthus interruptus |
Family: Circopidae (Froghoppers)
Philaenus spumarius
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Philaenus spumarius
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Philaenus spumarius
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Family: Cixiidae (Planthoppers)
Cixius cunicularis |
Sub-order: Sternorrhyncha
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The Sternorrhyncha suborder of the Hemiptera contains the aphids, whiteflies, and scale insects, groups which were
traditionally included in the order Homoptera. "Sternorrhyncha" refers to the rearward position of the mouthparts relative to the head.
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Superfamily: Aphidoidea