The New Childrens Encyclopedia

Bugs and

beetles

The word “bug” is often used to

mean any creepy-crawly, but it is

actually an order of a particular kind of

insect. This order is called Hemiptera, and it has

82,000 species. Beetles are not the same as bugs:

they have their own order, Coleoptera. There are

370,000 beetle species—that’s one-third of all

known insect species.

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF IT’S A BUG?

Leaf hopper

Cicadella viridis

Cotton stainer

bug

Dysdercus decussatus

Giant water bug

Lethocerus grandis

Lantern bug

Phrictus quinquepartitus

Bugs have two pairs of

wings and a beaklike

mouth for piercing

and sucking up food.

Water scorpion

Nepa sp.

Squash bug

Coreus marginatus

Assassin bug

Eulyes illustris

Cicada

Angamiana aetherea

Bugs have incomplete

metamorphosis: they start life

as nymphs that look similar to

the adult form, but without

wings or reproductive organs.

 A stink bug preys on

a caterpillar.

Lacewing

nymph

Adult

lacewing

LIVING WORLD

7

/^7 

All the insects you see

here are life-size. The

giant water bug is the

world’s longest bug,

but it’s dwarfed by the

Hercules beetle.

Bed bug

(magnified x 2)

Cimex lectularius

BUGS

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