Arthropods 6

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Southern California Arthropods #6: True Bugs (Order Hemiptera)
© W.P. Armstrong 15 April 2009
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Giant Water Bug Family (Belostomatidae)

Giant water bug from Florida.

Giant water bugs (Abedus indentatus), affectionately called "toe biters" by barefooted swimmers. These large bugs of the family Belostomatidae cling motionless to underwater plants and debris in southern California streams. They periodically come to the surface to replenish their air supply carried in a bubble under the wings. With their poweful raptorial front legs they catch other aquatic insects, tadpoles and even small fish. Females typically deposit their eggs on the backs of the males. Brooding males provide for the needs of the eggs by exposing them to air and an intermittent flow of water. In addition, the eggs are protected and are not accessible to the ravenous males.

Milkweed Bug Family (Lygaeidae)

Large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) on narrow-leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) in the northern Coast Range.

Ambush Bug Family (Phymatidae)

An ambush bug (Phymata fasciata). This well-camouflaged little bug (order Heteroptera) is a fierce predator and may capture insects much larger than itself. With is strong raptorial forelegs it grasps it prey while injecting venom with it tubular sucking mouthparts. I have seen an ambush bug kill a honeybee in a flower. According to Thomas Eisner (For Love of Insects, 2003), ambush bugs caught in the webs of orb weaver spiders (Argiope aurantia) actually killed their captors by biting the spiders in their legs. Eisner observed that the spiders often exhibited autotomy (shedding their bitten legs) and were able to survive the bite of the ambush bug.

A Well-Camouflaged Ambush Bug On The Inflorescence Of Lantana

Stink Bug Family (Pentatomidae)

Adult Say's stink bug (Chlorochroa sayi) with fully developed wings.

More Images Of Say's Stinkbug Nymphs

Harlequin Bug Nymph and Adult On Mustard Plants

Harlequin Bug Nymph (Pentatomidae) On Black Mustard

Harlequin bug nymph (Murgantia histrionica) on Brassica nigra.

Harlequin Bug Adult (Pentatomidae) On Perennial (Short-Pod) Mustard

Harlequin bug winged adult (Murgantia histrionica) on Hirschfeldia incana.

Assassin Bug Family (Reduviidae)

The western cone-nosed bug (Triatoma protracta) inhabits the nests of wood rats in the southwestern United States. Using their piercing beak, these bugs primarily suck the blood of Neotoma species. They are known to carry a trypanosome and occasionally bite people while they are sleeping. Because they typically bite in soft areas of the body, such as the lips, they are sometimes called "kissing bugs." Cone-nosed bugs belong to the Reduviidae, a family of predatory bugs with elongate, tapering snouts.

A wood rat nest (black arrow) in the coastal sage scrub plant community east of Palomar College. The nest is constructed by the dusky-footed wood rat (Neotoma fuscipes). It is made of sticks and dead branches, mostly from sagebrush (Artemisia californica) and black sage (Salvia mellifera). In the southwestern United States, the cone-nosed bug (Triatoma protracta) inhabits the nests of wood rats. Using their piercing mouthparts, these bugs primarily suck the blood of Neotoma species. They are known to carry a trypanosome and occasionally bite people.

Highly magnified view (2000 X) of Trypanosoma lewisi (red arrow) swimming among red blood cells of a rat. Several species of Trypanosoma infect humans. African sleeping sickness is caused by T. gambiense and T. rhodesiense, two species of flagellates transmitted by biting flies of the genus Glossina, better known as tsetse flies. Unless treated in early stages, African sleeping sickness is a potentially fatal disease. Chagas disease of the American tropics is caused by another trypanosome (T. cruzi) that is spread by blood-sucking bugs of the genera Triatoma and Rhodnius. In the southwestern United States, a species of Triatoma called the cone-nosed bug (T. protracta) inhabits the nests of wood rats (Neotoma spp.). Using their piercing mouthparts, these bugs primarily suck the blood of wood rats. They are known to carry a trypanosome and occasionally bite people while they are sleeping. Symptoms of the bite range from mild itching, severe joint pain, nausea, chills and dizziness to anaphylactic shock. Most people exibit no adverse reactions, and the severe cases reported in hypersensitive people appear to be due to serious allergic reactions, possibly from the bug's saliva. [Image from an old (circa 1960) prepared microscope slide enhanced with Adobe PhotoShop by W.P. Armstrong.]

References:

  1. Evans, A.V. 2007. Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, New York.  

  2. Hogue, C.L. 1993. Insects of the Los Angeles Basin. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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