Heteroptera

The Heteroptera are a group of about 40,000 species of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are sometimes called "true bugs", though that name more commonly refers to the Hemiptera as a whole. "Typical bugs" might be used as a more unequivocal alternative, since the heteropterans are most consistently and universally termed "bugs" among the Hemiptera. "Heteroptera" is Greek for "different wings": most species have forewings with both membranous and hardened portions (called hemelytra); members of the primitive sub-group Enicocephalomorpha have completely membranous wings.

The Pentatomomorpha are an infraorder of insects in the true bug order Hemiptera. The group includes such animals as the shield- or stink-bugs (Pentatomidae and alies), flat bugs (Aradidae), seed bugs (Lygaeidae and Rhyparochromidae), etc. They are closely related to the Cimicomorpha.

The Gerromorpha comprise an infraorder of insects in the "true bug" order Hemiptera. These "typical" bugs (suborder Heteroptera) are commonly called semiaquatic bugs or shore-inhabiting bugs. The Ochteroidea (infraorder Nepomorpha are also found in shore habitat, while the Gerromorpha are actually most often encountered running around on the water surface, being kept from sinking by surface tension and their water-repellent legs. Well-known members of the Gerromorpha are the namesake Gerridae (water striders).

The Cimicomorpha are an infraorder of insects in the order Hemiptera, the true bugs. The rostrum and other morphology of some members apparently is adapted to feeding on animals as their prey or hosts. Members include bed bugs, bat bugs, assassin bugs, and pirate bugs.

Dipsocoromorpha is an infraorder of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs) containing roughly 300 species, in one superfamily, Dipsocoroidea. The insects of this group live on the ground and in the leaf litter, though they can also be found in mangroves, low vegetation areas, and interstitial areas of streams.

Leptopodomorpha is an infraorder of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). Leptopodomorpha is an infraorder of the order Heteroptera that contains more than 380 species. These small insects are also called shore bugs, or spiny shore bugs. As their name suggests, shore bugs range from being intertidal, to living near streams and lakes. Four families belong to this infraorder, the largest of which is Saldidae with about 350 species, compared to about 30 in Leptopodidae, and only 5 and 1 in Omaniidae and Aepophilidae respectively. Saldidae are known in particular for their jumping ability.

Enicocephaloidea is a sole superfamily within the infraorder Enicocephalomorpha of the hemipteran suborder Heteroptera ("true bugs"). The group was formerly thought to be related to the Reduviidae because of similarities in head structure but they are now considered different enough from other Heteroptera to constitute a separate infraorder and represents a sister group of the Leptopodomorpha. They are predaceous and some species are known to swarm but little is known of their life history. A few species of enicocephalids are known to shed their wings before entering the surface of subsoil.

Phloeidae is a family of true bugs belonging to the order Hemiptera. They are commonly known as Neotropical bark bugs due to their South American distribution, cryptic coloration, and flattened body.

Cryptostemma is a genus of bugs in the family Dipsocoridae, first described by Herrich-Schäffer in 1835. The species Cryptostemma alienum is recorded from northern Europe including the British Isles.

Lestonia is a genus of true bugs belonging to the monotypic family Lestoniidae.

Thaumastella is a genus of true bugs belonging to the monotypic family Thaumastellidae.