Chinch-bugs
Guides
Blissidae
Chinch Bugs and Allies
Blissidae is a family of true bugs (Hemiptera) comprising over 400 species in nearly 50 genera. Members are elongate insects, typically four to seven times as long as broad, with many species exhibiting short-winged forms. All species feed on plant sap, primarily from grasses (Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae), with most living between leaf sheaths. The family was elevated from subfamily status within Lygaeidae by Thomas Henry in 1997. Several species are significant agricultural pests, notably Blissus leucopterus (true chinch bug), which damages corn and other cereal crops.