True Bugs

Scale insects (superfamily Coccoidea) from Belize.

Treehoppers (Membracidae: Guayaquila) from Belize.

Metallic Shield Bug (Scutelleridae, Pachycoris torridus) from Belize.

Planthopper (Fulgoroidea: possibly Dictyopharidae) from Belize.

Spined stink bug, Pentatomidae (Belize).

Well-camouflaged planthopper nymph from Belize.

Derbid planthopper (Fulgoroidea: Derbidae) from Belize.

Planthopper nymph (superfamily Fulgoroidea) from Belize.

Sharpshooter leafhopper, Agrosoma placetis, from Belize.

Ornate Lanternfly, Phrictus quinquepartitus, from Belize.

Thread-legged Assassin Bug - Reduviidae: subfamily Emesinae (Cayo District, Belize). Like mantids, their first pair of legs are modified for grasping prey, an example of convergent evolution. That is, these two non-directly related lineages of insects each evolved similar anatomical solutions (upgraded forelegs) to similar selective pressures.

Tarantula Hawk-mimicking Assassin Bug - Reduviidae: genus Zelurus (Belize). Its striking warning colors falsely advertise unpalatability associated with these wasps (genus Pepsis) - a phenomenon known as Batesian mimicry. This individual also sports some very formidable spines to deter predators.

Leaf-footed bug - Coreidae: genus Savius, from Belize.

A mother aphid gives live birth in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

A colony of aphids feeds on a flower in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Many aphids (superfamily Aphidoidea) exhibit parthenogenesis, meaning that adult female aphids will give birth to female clones of themselves, foregoing the fertilization process in favor of mass production. Some aphids even have what is known as "telescoping generations;" that is, an adult female can have a daughter inside her who is already producing her own daughter. Aphids are also viviparous, meaning that they give live birth - a rare trait in the insect world.

A group of ants (genus Dolichoderus) attends a colony of mealybugs, family Pseudococcidae (Chiang Mai, Thailand).

assassin bug, family Reduviidae, from Chiang Mai, Thailand. I thought it was a spider at first, and after further examination, now I can see why. The head appears recessed, giving the illusion of two body segments instead of three. Additionally, the antennae are bent backwards, causing two visual effects; it appears to lack antennae, and it seems to have eight legs instead of six.

Treehopper - Membracidae: genus Centrotus, from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Stink bug nymph, family Pentatomidae, from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Backlit stink bug nymph, Pentatomidae. (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

Leafhopper nymph from Chiang Mai, Thailand. The two-pronged "tail" is actually its cerci, the highly variable pair of appendages that many insects have on the terminal segment of their abdomen.

A leafhopper, genus Agallia, surveys its domain. (Iowa, USA)

Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris (Iowa, USA).

Treehopper (Membracidae) from Iowa, USA.

A pair of worker ants, Formica subsericea, tends to a small colony of aphids (Iowa, USA).

Leafhopper, Scaphoideus carinatus. (Iowa, USA)

Fuzzy flatid planthopper nymph (Hemiptera: Flatidae, from Iowa, USA). In addition to providing camouflage, it is thought that these waxy filaments defend against attack; if a predator only manages a glancing blow and gets a mouthful of wax, the hopper may have a chance to escape.

Masked Hunter - Reduviidae: Reduvius personatus (Iowa, USA). This assassin bug gets its common name from the tendency of its nymphs to camouflage themselves with detritus.

Well-camouflaged Buffalo Treehopper nymph, Membracidae: genus Ceresa (Iowa, USA). Membracids are most famous for their often bizarre adult forms, like the globe-bearing treehopper, but I find their nymphs to be equally charismatic.

Treehopper nymph, Membracidae: genus Enchenopa, from Iowa, USA).

Thorn mimic treehopper, Membracidae: genus Enchenopa, from Iowa, USA.

Thistle-feeding aphids, genus Aphis, being tended by Formica neogagates in Wisconsin, USA.

Sharpshooter leafhopper - Cicadellidae: genus Graphocephala, from Wisconsin, USA.

Stink bug nymph, family Pentatomidae (Wisconsin, USA).

leaf-footed bug (Coreidae: Merocoris distinctus) from Wisconsin.

Derbid Planthopper, Apache degeeri (Wisconsin, USA).

Pollination - it's a risky business! For every insect that has developed a flower-visiting habit over the millennia, like this honey bee (Apis mellifera) on goldenrod, there exists another insect (or spider) that has evolved to take advantage of them, like this jagged ambush bug (genus Phymata). Here, the latter has grabbed the former by its 'tongue' (ouch!) and stabbed it in the neck with its spear-like mouthparts in order to inject it with chemical compounds that will paralyze it and dissolve its innards into a nutritious honey bee smoothie.

A pair of odorous house ants, Tapinoma sessile, tends to a colony of green aphids on the underside of a leaf (Iowa, USA).

Widefooted Treehopper, Campylenchia latipes (Iowa, USA).

Minute Pirate Bug (Anthocoridae - Orius insidiosus) from Iowa, USA. These swashbuckling hemipterans prey on small invertebrates and pillage their eggs, a trait that makes them attractive as biological control agents.

Large Milkweed Bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus, feed on a seed pod (Iowa, USA). Like other milkweed-feeding insects, milkweed bugs acquire toxins from their host plant and advertise their distastefulness with bright warning coloration.

Coupled Jagged Ambush Bugs, genus Phymata (Iowa, USA).

Leafhopper nymph, family Cicadellidae (Iowa, USA).

A beautiful and well-camouflaged lace bug (Tingidae: genus Corythucha) feeds on the underside of a leaf. (Iowa, USA).

Treehopper, Membracidae - Glossonotus acuminatus (Iowa, USA).

A freshly-molted annual cicada, genus Tibicen, dismounts from its exuvia (Iowa, USA). (Note: image is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.)

Wasp-mimicking assassin bug (Reduviidae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.