The Pentatomoidea are a superfamily of insects in the suborder Heteroptera of the order Hemiptera. As hemipterans, they possess a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts. The roughly 7000 species under Pentatomoidea are divided into 21 families (16 extant and 5 extinct). Among these are the stink bugs and shield bugs, jewel bugs, giant shield bugs, and burrower bugs.

Description

The Pentatomoidea are characterised by a well-developed scutellum (the hardened extension of the thorax over the abdomen). It can be triangular to semielliptical in shape. The antennae typically have five segments. The tarsi usually have two or three segments. Shield bugs have glands that produce a foul-smelling liquid, which is used defensively to deter potential predators. Nymphs have glands on the dorsal surface of the abdomen (dorsal abdominal scent glands). These are often present in adults as well, but adults also develop a pair of glands on the metathorax (third segment of the thorax), these being the metathoracic scent glands. The nymphs and adults have distinctive piercing mouthparts, with mandibles and maxillae modified to form a piercing "stylet" sheathed within a modified labium. The stylet is used to suck sap from plants, or in some cases to suck blood from other animals, such as in the predatory subfamily Asopinae. Pentatomoidea are mostly phytophagous, although some (the Asopinae or predatory stink bugs) are zoophagous. They can become significant pests (e.g. the brown marmorated stink bug), causing economic damage to certain crops.

Families

These families are classified under Pentatomoidea:

Extant

Extinct

Phylogeny

The morphological unweighted tree of Pentatomoidea after Grazia et al. (2008).

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