Hemiptera

The Hemiptera /hɛˈmɪptərə/ or true bugs are an order of insects comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, and shield bugs. They range in size from 1 mm (0.04 in) to around 15 cm (6 in), and share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts. The name "true bugs" is sometimes limited to the suborder Heteroptera. Many insects commonly known as "bugs" belong to other orders; for example, the lovebug is a fly, while the May bug is a beetle.

Most hemipterans feed on plants, using their sucking and piercing mouthparts to extract plant sap. Some, though, are predators, often of other insects, but also attacking other animals including small vertebrates, while others are parasitic. They live in a wide variety of habitats, generally terrestrial, though some species are adapted to life in or on the surface of fresh water. Hemipterans are hemimetabolous, with young nymphs that somewhat resemble adults. Many aphids are capable of parthenogenesis, producing young from unfertilised eggs; this helps them to reproduce extremely rapidly in favourable conditions.