Rhopalidae

Definition

A family of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) commonly called scentless plant bugs, distinguished from the related leaf-footed bugs (Coreidae) by the reduction or absence of well-developed metathoracic scent glands. Members are typically small to medium-sized, pale-colored, and herbivorous, feeding principally on weeds with some arboreal species; they are recognized by the numerous veins in the membranous portion of the hemelytra, a trait that separates them from superficially similar lygaeid bugs.

Etymology

From the type genus Rhopalus (Greek rhopalon, 'club' or 'cudgel') + -idae (family suffix).

Example

The boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata), a common nuisance pest in North America, is a rhopalid that aggregates on buildings in autumn; unlike coreids, it cannot produce defensive secretions.

Synonyms

• Corizidae (obsolete)

Related Terms

• Hemiptera
• Heteroptera
• Coreidae
• Lygaeidae
• Scent gland
• hemelytron
• true bug

Usage Notes

The family was formerly called Corizidae, a name now abandoned. Rhopalids are not economically significant as a group, though a few species damage ornamental trees. They are sometimes mistaken for lygaeids (seed bugs), but the dense venation of the hemelytral membrane and the reduced scent apparatus provide clear diagnostic characters. The oldest fossil record extends to the Middle Jurassic.