Soft Bugs
Order Hemiptera, Suborder Sternorrhyncha
This page contains pictures and information about Soft Bugs (Suborder
Sternorrhyncha) that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
This soft body bugs suborder includes jumping plant lice, lerp insects, aphids, mealy bugs and scale insects. All of them feed on plant sap. Some species adults are winged but notably weak fliers. They are small in size. Most species have the nymphal stages produce some form of protection, such as lerp, scales and gall.
Classification :
There are many family in this suborder but we have recorded vary few yet. Please come back from time to time and see if we have put more records in this suborder.
Superfamily PSYLLOIDEA
- Members in this group are small in size. Adults have membranous wings and thickened. They are capable of jumping. Young nymphs are usually free living move over host plants to select suitable place to settle. There are five nymphal stages. Females stridulate to attract males before mating. There are different families and the largest one is Psyllidae. They are plant sapper and mostly host-plant specific.
Family Psyllidae
- Lerps Insects- Lerps insects are sap suckers and often aggregate in colonies. They insert their stylets into the plant and begin feeding and constructing a lerp. Lerps are formed from the honeydew excreted by the insects. Each species has its own characteristic. They can be cones, univalves, bivalves or fan shapes.
Family Aphididae - Aphids- Aphids are small to very small in size. They are soft body and usually wingless. There are the winged form with very thin membranous wings. Usually their body is in pear-shaped. Most species have a pair of posterior at the abdomen. Like most other bugs they are sap-sucking insects.
Superfamily APHIDOIDEA
Superfamily COCCOIDEA
Family Margarodidae
- Large Mealy Bugs - Mealy bugs or Mealybugs are sometimes found in group on plants indoor or outdoor. Their bodies are flat with waxy excretions of white powdery substance. They seldom move and feed in the same way as aphids and scale insects. Ladybirds and lacewings are their predators.
Family
Pseudococcidae - True Mealy Bugs- They are sometimes found in group on plants indoor or outdoor. Their bodies are flat with waxy excretions of white powdery substance. They seldom move or move very slowly and feed in the same way as aphids and scale insects.
Family Eriococcidae
- Gall-inducing Scale Insect
The scale insects in this family induce distinctive woody gall on plants, either occur on barks, stems or leaves. The insect lives inside from 1st instars to adult. Female adult stays inside the gall while winged male leaves its gall and look for the females. The galls induced by female and male usually look very different.
Family
Dactylopiidae - Cochineal Insect- There are only one genus in Australia, they are introduced species.
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Family Coccidae - Scale Insects - The insects in this family are covered with wax secretion. The covering may be scale-like or mussel-shaped. Young scale insects are very small. When they grow, most of their external organs, such as their legs, wings and antenna, are reduced and become functionless.
Family
Diaspididae - Armoured Scales- They are also known as Hard Scales. They are elongated white scale. Females have the hard scale cover. Males are free living.
Unknown Soft Bugs- Please advise if you known the ID of those unknown Soft Bugs.
- Unknown Galls
- Please advise if you known the ID of those Unknown Galls.
- Reference:
- 1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 443.
- 2. Suborder STERNORRHYNCHA - Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Faunal Directory.
