Feb - 2013


 
February - 2013
Dear Nature Lovers,
Greetings from oikos !
Many times bugs are confused with Beetles due to their appearance. But main difference in them is their unusual heads with piercing and sucking mouth parts. 
Bugs comprise wide variety with Cicadas, Hoppers, Spittle bugs, Aphids, Scales, Mealy bugs, White flies, Water striders etc, divided in 91 families. 
Few of the bugs are seen as pests in agriculture, while some are very helpful to human beings. But in nature they all have a role to play !
Regards, 
Ketaki & Manasi. 

BUGS
ORDER : HEMIPTERA 
The order Hemiptera includes True bugs. Hemi = Half, pteros = wings, referring to the forewings, in most of the bugs, which are hardened near the base, but membranous at the ends.
Mouth Parts: Piercing and sucking mouthparts.
Wings: Most Bugs have two pair of wings and have ability of flight. But few have one pair of wings or are even wingless. Wings are either entirely membranous or partially hardened.
Metamorphosis: Partial. Egg – Nymph – Adult.
Significance to Humans: Hemiptera mostly considered as pests of crops and gardens, including many species of aphid, mealy bugs and scale insects. Few bugs are human disease vector. Conversely, some predatory hemipterans are themselves biological pest control agents e.g. Water Strider and Water Boatman control other insect pests.
Man-faced Bug (Catacanthus incarnatus
Wings of this bug are membranous but hardened or leathery at the base and are held flat against the body. There is a visible triangle at the center of the back that the wing bases do not cover. The entire arrangement makes it look like a face of a man. Hind wings are completely membranous. 
It belongs to Superfamily Pentatomoidea (commonly referred as Shield bugs or Stink bugs), characterized by insects having a shield shape or broad back.
Reference : Field guide : “Insects of BNHS reserve” by BNHS, Mumbai, Indian Insects and Arachnids by Meenakshi Venkataraman.

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