Heterogastridae

Pronunciation
/het-er-oh-GAS-truh-dee/
Category
Taxonomy
Singular
Heterogastridae

Definition

A of small, mostly tropical lygaeoid in the infraorder , comprising approximately 20 and more than 100 described . Members are typically ground-dwelling or associated with leaf litter and low vegetation, feeding on seeds and other plant material. The family is distinguished from related lygaeoid families by genitalic and abdominal sternite characters.

Full guide

Read the full Heterogastridae guide for identification, examples, and taxonomy.

Etymology

From Greek heteros (other, different) and (belly, stomach), referring to distinctive abdominal features; name formed with Latin -idae suffix.

Example

The Heterogaster, type genus of Heterogastridae, includes found in leaf litter across the Paleotropics.

Related Terms

Usage Notes

Sometimes treated as a (Heterogastrinae) within in older classifications; modern phylogenetic studies generally recognize rank. Distinguished from related families Geocoridae and Lygaeidae by male genitalic structure and the 4-segmented . Most diverse in the Old World tropics, with limited representation in the Nearctic region.