True Bugs
Order Hemiptera
366 speciesDistinguished by their piercing-sucking mouthparts. Includes cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs.
Species in this Order
Abedus Giant Water Bug
Abedus herberti
A medium-sized, broad-bodied giant water bug found in streams and springs of the American Southwest....
Acanaloniid Planthopper
Acanalonia conica
A small bright green planthopper with broad leaf-shaped wings that provide excellent camouflage amon...
African Bat Bug
Afrocimex constrictus
A cimicid ectoparasite found on bats in East African caves. It is notable for its unusual mating sys...
African Bladder Cicada
Platypleura stridula
A sub-Saharan African cicada with flattened lateral extensions on its abdomen. It is commonly heard ...
African Cicada
Platypleura hirtipennis
A large cicada with brownish wings and a stout body. Males produce a deafening chorus using speciali...
African Citrus Psyllid
Trioza erytreae
A small brownish psyllid that causes distinctive pit galls on citrus leaves. It vectors the African ...
African Cotton Stainer
Dysdercus fasciatus
A vividly red and black pyrrhocorid bug that is a significant pest of cotton across tropical Africa....
African Giant Water Bug
Lethocerus cordofanus
A massive aquatic predatory bug with powerful raptorial forelegs for catching prey. It can grow to o...
African Screaming Cicada
Brevisana brevis
The loudest insect ever recorded, producing calls at 106.7 decibels measured at 50 cm — louder than ...
Alder Spittlebug
Aphrophora alni
A common European spittlebug found on willows and alders. Nymphs produce copious frothy spittle mass...
Alpine Assassin Bug
Coranus subapterus
A predatory bug of dry alpine and montane grasslands. It ambushes prey with its powerful raptorial f...
Alpine Ground Bug
Geocoris grylloides
A small, big-eyed predatory bug of dry mountain slopes. It uses its large eyes to spot and stalk sma...
Alpine Plant Bug
Lygus punctatus
A small, variable plant bug found on alpine flowers and herbs. It feeds on plant sap and developing ...
Alpine Shield Bug
Carpocoris purpureipennis
A colorful shield bug found in alpine and subalpine meadows. Its coloring varies from green to brown...
Amazonian Cicada
Fidicina mannifera
A large green and brown cicada with a powerful buzzing call that echoes through the Amazonian canopy...
Amazonian Leafhopper
Propetes schmidti
A colorful leafhopper with a bright green body adorned with red and blue markings. It feeds on the s...
Amazonian Water Scorpion
Ranatra spp.
A stick-like aquatic bug with an extremely elongated body and long breathing siphon at the rear. It ...
Ambush Bug
Phymata americana
A small crab-like bug that waits motionless on flowers to ambush visiting pollinators....
American Marsh Treader
Hydrometra martini
A very thin, elongate bug with a head nearly as long as its thorax. It creeps slowly along floating ...
Anchor Stink Bug
Stiretrus anchorago
A predatory stink bug that is one of North America's most colorful pentatomids, with highly variable...
Ant Damsel Bug
Himacerus mirmicoides
A slender brown predatory bug whose nymphs remarkably mimic ants for protection from predators. Adul...
Ant-attended Treehopper
Publilia concava
A small North American treehopper commonly tended by ants that harvest its honeydew secretions. In r...
Ant-Mimicking Treehopper
Cyphonia clavata
A treehopper with a pronotal projection shaped like an ant sitting on its back. The ant mimic is tho...
Apache Cicada
Diceroprocta apache
A large green and brown cicada that sings loudly in the Sonoran Desert heat. Nymphs spend years unde...
Aphid
Myzus persicae
Tiny sap-sucking insects with extraordinary reproduction. Can reproduce without mating (parthenogene...
Apple Sucker
Cacopsylla mali
A small psyllid pest of apple trees with greenish-brown coloring that changes seasonally. Nymphs pro...
Arctic Aphid
Acyrthosiphon svalbardicum
A small, pale green aphid that is one of the most northerly herbivorous insects on Earth. It feeds o...
Arctic Psyllid
Cacopsylla brunneipennis
A tiny, winged sap-sucking insect that feeds on willow in Arctic and subarctic regions. Adults are b...
Arctic Seed Bug
Nysius groenlandicus
A small, elongate grayish-brown seed bug with a narrow body and prominent eyes. It feeds on seeds an...
Arctic Water Bug
Arctocorisa carinata
A small aquatic bug with a flattened body and oar-like hind legs for swimming. The back has fine tra...
Assassin Bug
Zelus renardii
Ambush predators that impale prey with their curved beak and inject lethal saliva. Some species coat...
Aster Leafhopper
Macrosteles quadrilineatus
A tiny green leafhopper that transmits aster yellows phytoplasma to hundreds of plant species. It is...
Australian Harlequin Bug
Dindymus versicolor
A small but conspicuous red and black bug that often aggregates in large numbers on tree trunks, fen...
Australian Lace Bug
Froggattia olivinia
A small sap-sucking bug that infests eucalyptus trees, producing unsightly black sooty mould on leav...
Azalea Lace Bug
Stephanitis pyrioides
A tiny lace bug with beautifully ornate, net-veined wings that is a major pest of azaleas and rhodod...
Backswimmer
Notonecta glauca
An aquatic bug that swims upside down just beneath the water surface, using its long hind legs as oa...
Balsam Woolly Adelgid
Adelges piceae
An invasive European adelgid that kills fir trees in North America. Its feeding causes abnormal wood...
Barn Swallow Bug
Oeciacus vicarius
A cimicid ectoparasite of cliff swallows and barn swallows in North America. It can bite humans in b...
Bear Cicada
Cryptotympana facialis
A large black cicada common throughout Japan, known locally as 'kuma-zemi.' It is one of the dominan...
Bed Bug
Cimex lectularius
Obligate blood-feeding parasites of humans. Can survive up to a year without feeding. Have made a dr...
Bed Bug Hunter
Reduvius personatus
An assassin bug whose nymph camouflages itself with dust and debris glued to its body....
Bee Assassin Bug
Apiomerus flaviventris
A brightly colored assassin bug with a red and black body and a yellow underside. It specializes in ...
Bee Killer Assassin Bug
Apiomerus crassipes
An assassin bug that coats its legs with plant resin to capture bees visiting flowers....
Beech Scale
Cryptococcus fagisuga
A tiny scale insect that feeds on beech bark, creating wounds that allow the Neonectria fungus to en...
Beet Leafhopper
Circulifer tenellus
A small pale green to tan leafhopper that transmits curly top virus to sugar beets, tomatoes, and be...
Belostoma Giant Water Bug
Belostoma flumineum
A medium-sized, oval giant water bug found across North America. Males carry eggs cemented to their ...
Big-legged Bug
Acanthocephala terminalis
A large, dark coreid bug found in eastern North America with prominently expanded hind tibiae. The h...
Birch Catkin Bug
Kleidocerys resedae
A small, oval brown seed bug that feeds on birch and alder catkins. It is very common in northern Eu...
Birch Shieldbug
Elasmostethus interstinctus
A bright green and copper shield bug found on birch trees. It has distinctive dark shoulder patches....
Black Bean Aphid
Aphis fabae
A soft-bodied black aphid that forms dense colonies on beans, sugar beet, and many garden plants. It...
Black Cicada
Maoricicada nigra
A striking all-black alpine cicada endemic to the mountains of the South Island of New Zealand. Its ...
Black Corsair
Melanolestes picipes
A shiny black, robust assassin bug found across North America. It is nocturnal and commonly attracte...
Black Prince Cicada
Psaltoda plaga
A prized Australian cicada with a jet-black body, popular among children who collect cicada shells. ...
Black-and-Red Froghopper
Cercopis arcuata
A southern European froghopper similar to C. vulnerata but with differently shaped red markings. It ...
Black-kneed Capsid
Blepharidopterus angulatus
A slender, pale green mirid bug with distinctive black knee joints. It is a beneficial predator foun...
Bladder Cicada
Cystosoma saundersii
An Australian cicada with a remarkably inflated translucent green abdomen in males. The hollow abdom...
Blue Shieldbug
Zicrona caerulea
A metallic blue-green predatory stink bug found across Europe and Asia. It specializes in hunting fl...
Blue-Green Sharpshooter
Graphocephala atropunctata
A strikingly colored blue-green leafhopper native to the western US. It is an important vector of Pi...
Blue-Winged Lanternfly
Pyrops intricatus
A colorful lanternfly from Borneo with blue-green iridescent markings on its wings and an elongated ...
Bordered Plant Bug
Largus californicus
A dark blue-black bug with bright orange margins common in arid parts of California. Nymphs are irid...
Bornean Green Cicada
Dundubia vaginata
A large, bright green cicada with translucent wings and a powerful, resonant call. Males produce a c...
Box Bug
Gonocerus acuteangulatus
A slender, reddish-brown coreid bug historically restricted to box trees in southern England but now...
Box Sucker
Psylla buxi
A tiny jumping plant louse that causes cupping and distortion of box leaves. Nymphs produce waxy sec...
Boxelder Bug
Boisea trivittata
A black and red bug that forms large aggregations on and around boxelder trees in autumn. It is comm...
Brancsik's Cicada
Yanga brancsiki
A medium-sized cicada with tawny brown coloration and dark veining on its hyaline wings. Named after...
Brazilian Treehopper
Bocydium globulare
One of the most bizarre insects alive — its helmet has bulbous globular projections resembling a tin...
Broad-Shouldered Water Strider
Microvelia americana
A tiny water strider relative that walks on the surface of ponds and puddles. It is widespread acros...
Bronze Orange Bug
Musgraveia sulciventris
A large, bronze-colored shield bug that is a pest of citrus trees in eastern Australia. Nymphs are b...
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Halyomorpha halys
A shield-shaped brown bug with marbled patterning and distinctive white-banded antennae. Native to E...
Brown Planthopper
Nilaparvata lugens
The most destructive insect pest of rice in Asia, capable of causing 'hopper burn' that destroys ent...
Brown Stink Bug
Euschistus servus
A dull brownish shield bug common throughout North America. It has a typical pentatomid shape with s...
Buffalo Treehopper
Stictocephala bisonia
A small, bright green treehopper with a distinctive triangular pronotum that makes it resemble a min...
Cabbage Whitefly
Aleyrodes proletella
A small white-winged insect that infests brassica crops, weakening plants with sap feeding and honey...
Cactus Bug
Chelinidea vittiger
A slender coreid bug that feeds on prickly pear cacti in arid North American habitats. Feeding damag...
Cactus Dodger Cicada
Cacama valvata
A robust desert cicada that feeds on native desert shrubs in the American Southwest. Males produce a...
California Red Scale
Aonidiella aurantii
A circular reddish-brown armored scale insect that infests citrus bark, leaves, and fruit. Heavy inf...
Cascade Cicada
Platypedia areolata
A small western North American cicada that produces sound by wing-flicking rather than typical tymba...
Cassini Periodical Cicada
Magicicada cassini
A 17-year periodical cicada distinguished from related species by its all-black underside and distin...
Cave Cixiid
Oliarus polyphemus
A remarkable cave-adapted planthopper from Hawaiian lava tubes that has lost its eyes and wings. Its...
Chinch Bug
Blissus leucopterus
A tiny black and white bug that is one of the most destructive pests of cereal crops and lawn grasse...
Chorus Cicada
Amphipsalta zelandica
The most common and widespread cicada in New Zealand, producing the iconic summer chorus heard throu...
Chrysanthemum Lace Bug
Corythucha marmorata
A small lace bug with mottled brown and white lace-patterned wings that feeds on chrysanthemums, gol...
Cicada Assassin Bug
Pselliopus barberi
A colorful orange and black assassin bug that specializes in hunting cicadas. It uses its powerful r...
Cinnamon Bug
Corizus hyoscyami
A bright red-and-black scentless plant bug that mimics fire bugs and other aposematic insects. Despi...
Citrus Mealybug
Planococcus citri
A soft-bodied, waxy-coated insect that clusters on citrus fruits, stems, and roots while feeding on ...
Citrus Spittlebug
Clastoptera undulata
A small oval-shaped spittlebug with dark brown and cream banding. Nymphs produce frothy spittle mass...
Citrus Whitefly
Dialeurodes citri
A small white-winged whitefly that is a common pest of citrus trees. Adults gather on the undersides...
Cixiid Planthopper
Cixius nervosus
A small brownish planthopper with prominently veined transparent wings. Nymphs develop underground f...
Clanger Cicada
Psaltoda claripennis
A medium-sized cicada known for its sharp, metallic clapping call that distinguishes it from other A...
Clapping Cicada
Amphipsalta cingulata
An endemic New Zealand cicada named for the sharp clapping sound it produces, distinct from the cont...
Clown Bug
Mictis profana
A large Australian coreid bug also known as the crusader bug for the cross-shaped pattern on its bac...
Cochineal Scale Insect
Dactylopius coccus
The source of carmine dye — one of the most important natural red pigments. Farmed on prickly pear c...
Columbian Flower Planthopper
Poekilloptera phalaenoides
A large and spectacular flatid with broad white wings marked with black spots, closely resembling a ...
Common Damsel Bug
Nabis rugosus
A slender, drab brown predatory bug with raptorial forelegs that is common in European grasslands an...
Common Flower Bug
Anthocoris nemorum
A tiny brown bug that is a voracious predator of aphids, mites and psyllids. An important biological...
Common Froghopper
Philaenus spumarius form typicus
The classic form of the common froghopper with mottled brown coloring. Creates the familiar cuckoo-s...
Common Green Capsid
Lygocoris pabulinus
A bright green mirid bug that is a common pest of fruit trees and currants in Europe. It causes russ...
Common Pond Skater
Aquarius najas
A large, elongate water strider that glides across the surface of flowing rivers and large ponds. It...
Common Water Strider
Aquarius remigis
A slender dark brown insect that skates across the surface of streams and ponds using water surface ...
Conenose Bug
Triatoma protracta
A kissing bug native to the western United States that commonly enters homes to feed on sleeping res...