Hemimetabolous-development
Guides
Blattidae
Household Cockroaches
Blattidae is a family of cockroaches in the order Blattodea, established by Latreille in 1810. The family includes several of the most common household and peri-domestic pest species, notably in the genera *Periplaneta*, *Blatta*, and *Eurycotis*. The family is distributed worldwide, with particular diversity in tropical and subtropical regions. Many species have adapted to human-altered environments, though numerous species remain restricted to natural habitats such as leaf litter and forest floors.
Gryllidea
crickets
Gryllidea is an infraorder within the suborder Ensifera comprising crickets and their relatives. The group contains two superfamilies—Grylloidea (true crickets, tree crickets, scaly crickets, and allies) and Gryllotalpoidea (mole crickets and ant crickets)—encompassing more than 6,000 described species globally. Members are characterized by acoustic communication through stridulation, with males producing species-specific songs to attract mates. The infraorder originated in the Triassic period approximately 250–200 million years ago and represents the third most diverse group within Orthoptera.
cricketsOrthopteraEnsiferaacoustic-communicationstridulationmole-cricketsant-cricketsmyrmecophilybioacousticsedible-insectsagricultural-pesthousehold-pestTriassic-originhemimetabolous-developmentkleptoparasitismchemical-mimicryautotomythigmotaxisinvasive-speciesDiestrammena-asynamoraAcheta-domesticusGryllodes-sigillatusGryllus-firmusParagordius-variushost-parasite-interactionsmitochondrial-genomicspositive-selectioncox1Nearctic-faunaYunnan-biodiversityurban-ecologysoil-ecosystem-engineeringdecomposerfood-securityalternative-proteinMurgantia
Murgantia is a genus of shield bugs (family Pentatomidae, tribe Pentatomini) comprising approximately six described species. The genus is best known for Murgantia histrionica, commonly called the harlequin bug, a significant agricultural pest of cruciferous crops in North America. Species in this genus exhibit bright aposematic coloration—typically combinations of orange, black, and yellow—and possess chemical defense mechanisms derived from host plant compounds. Research on M. histrionica has established it as a laboratory model for studying developmental plasticity, thermal melanism, and gene expression patterns in hemimetabolous insects.
Naucoridae
creeping water bugs, saucer bugs
Naucoridae is a family of aquatic predatory true bugs comprising approximately 400 species in 46 genera across five subfamilies. Members are commonly known as creeping water bugs or saucer bugs due to their dorsoventrally flattened, oval body shape. They inhabit freshwater environments worldwide with greatest diversity in tropical regions, ranging from still waters to torrential streams. Most species are lotic, occurring in flowing waters rather than lentic habitats. They are predatory, feeding on other small invertebrates using piercing-sucking mouthparts.