Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0
Lygaeidae
Sign in to saveThe Lygaeidae are a family in the Hemiptera (true bugs), with more than 110 genera 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 omnivores and a few, such as the wekiu bug, are insectivores. Insects in this family are distributed across the world.
Species
groundbugs
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassInsecta
- OrderHemiptera
- FamilyLygaeidae
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 9,838
- With media
- 2,298
- Family
- Lygaeidae
- Collections
- LACM, MHNCA, YPM, USNM, IFIT-CP, UAM
- Recorded in
- Germany, Mexico, United States
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Distinguishing characteristics
- Subfamilies and selected genera
- Gallery
- References
- External links
The Lygaeidae are a family in the Hemiptera (true bugs), with more than 110 genera 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 omnivores 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, Cryptorhamphidae, Cymidae, Geocoridae, Heterogastridae, Ninidae, Oxycarenidae and Rhyparochromidae, which together constituted well over half of the former family.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Lygaeidae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.