Lygaeidae

Definition

A family of true bugs (Hemiptera) comprising more than 110 genera, commonly known as seed bugs. Members are typically small to medium-sized with elongated bodies, and exhibit diverse feeding strategies: most feed on seeds or plant sap, some are omnivorous, and a few such as the wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) are predatory on other insects. The family is distributed worldwide and includes economically significant species that damage crop seeds.

Etymology

From Lygaeus (type genus, from Greek lygaios 'twilight' or 'dusky') + -idae (family suffix)

Example

The milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus, a member of Lygaeidae, has become a model organism for studies of insect physiology and development due to its ease of laboratory rearing on sunflower seeds.

Synonyms

• Seed bugs
• ground bugs

Related Terms

• Hemiptera
• Heteroptera
• seed predation
• Pentatomomorpha
• milkweed bug
• true bugs
• Phytophagy

Usage Notes

The common name 'seed bugs' applies broadly to Lygaeidae but also extends to related families with similar habits, such as Rhyparochromidae and Blissidae; in precise taxonomic usage, Lygaeidae refers specifically to this family sensu stricto or sensu lato depending on classification system. The family has undergone significant taxonomic revision, with many former subfamilies now elevated to family rank in modern treatments.