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Hemiptera

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White spot assassin bug

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Platymeris biguttata

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White spot assassin bugs prowl the tropical forests of Africa, from Uganda to Guinea.

A fierce predator, this species of true bug stalks its prey, then strikes with precision, using a sharp rostrum—a set of pointed mouthparts—to paralyze its target. Once anchored into the prey’s body, the assassin bug extracts internal tissues before releasing the remains and cleaning itself.

While nymphs hunt cooperatively in groups, adult bugs prefer to hunt alone.

White spot assassin bugs can also spray venom to drive off would-be predators from a distance.

White spot assassin bugs have become a familiar sight at the Insectarium. The hundreds of individuals bred for public display or sent to other museums can all be traced back to just four individuals, originally received by our team.

Dog-day cicada

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Neotibicen canicularis

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Dog-day cicadas are large insects with highly characteristic shapes and bodies that are twice as long as they are wide. They are 27 to 33 mm long, with wingspans of up to 82 mm. Their bodies are mostly dark with green and black markings on the upper side of the thorax. The veins at the base of the long transparent wings are also green. Significant colour variations may be related to the geographic origin of different populations. The green form described above is the most abundant.

Masked hunter

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Reduvius personatus

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These black or dark brown bugs measure from 16 to 22 mm long. They have an elongated, oval shape and a small head with sharp mouthparts. They use this beak-like “rostrum” to spear their prey so that they can feed on it.

The nymphs resemble adults but are lighter coloured and have no functional wings. They generally cover themselves in dust, sand or lint similar in colour to their environment. The underside of the nymphs’ body is black or brown, like that of adults.

Small milkweed bug

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Lygaeus kalmii

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This red and black bug has a distinctive red X-shaped marking on its wings and a red band on the first thoracic segment behind its head. Its slender body is 10 to 12 mm long.

The nymph has a red or orange-red abdomen, with black spots appearing on it as the insect grows. The wing pads are black and become more pronounced with each moult.

Green stink bug

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Chinavia hilaris

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The adults in this species are 14 to 19 mm long. They have shield-shaped bodies, like all bugs in the Pentatomidae family. They are green, with orange edges, and a few dark spots on the edges of the abdomen. The base of the forewings is leathery, and the tip is membranous. These insects have piercing-sucking mouthparts.

The young bugs, called nymphs, are black when they hatch and turn green, yellow or orange as they grow. They resemble small adults, but without functional wings or reproductive organs.

Stink bugs

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Pentatomids owe their name to the fact that their antennae are divided into five segments (from the Greek penta, or five). This characteristic is less obvious than their shield-shaped bodies, which has also earned them the name “shield bugs.” There is a triangle (scutellum) where the wings join. Their heads are generally small.

The shape of the mouthparts of these piercing and sucking insects depends on their diet. In herbivores, the first segment of the rostrum is slender and located under the head. In predatory stink bugs, this segment is larger and projects in front of the head.

Most of these insects give off a very foul odour when they are disturbed. They produce these repellent secretions from glands on the abdomen, near the rear legs.

Leaf-footed bugs

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In southern Quebec, leaf-footed bugs are usually small, stocky, dull-coloured bugs. The membrane of their forewings is marked with parallel veins.

In tropical species, the tibiae on the hind legs are sometimes very broad and leaf-shaped, hence their common name of leaf-footed bugs.

When disturbed, some of these insects release a foul-odoured substance similar to that emitted by stink bugs, produced by glands on the thorax.

The adults are 10 to 20 mm long.

Cicadas

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These large insects are often spotted clinging to tree bark. On hot summer days, they produce a loud, unmistakable sound. You can recognize them by their triangular shape and flattened head.

Cicadas found in Quebec can grow up to 5 cm long, a size comparable to many cicada species around the world.

Cicadas also hold a special place in popular culture, thanks in part to La Fontaine’s fable La cigale et la fourmi (The Cicada and the Ant). But unlike the carefree character in the story, real cicadas have a complex life cycle and behaviour that help them survive remarkably well.

The cicadas’ “song”

People often say cicadas “sing,” but the sound doesn’t come from their mouths. Only males produce it, using membranes called tymbals located at the base of the abdomen. These domed, elastic organs are connected to muscles that, when they contract, make the tymbals vibrate, creating the cicada’s song.

Males sing to attract a mate. Their call can also draw in other males and prompt them to join in. This collective chorus can, in turn, help attract females from farther away. Each species has its own distinctive sound.

Unlike orthopterans, which tend to sing from the ground, cicadas’ calls usually come from the trees.

In Quebec, you can hear three species. The most common is the northern dog-day cicada (Neotibicen canicularis), but you may also encounter the aspen cicada (Okanagana noveboracensis) and the Say’s cicada (Okanagana rimosa).

Aphids

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Aphids are tiny, pear-shaped, soft-bodied insects and come in a wide variety of colours.

The great majority of adult aphids are wingless. Males may occasionally have wings, as well as females that need to migrate to new host plants.

Aphids have a tail-like protrusion, or cauda, at the tip of the abdomen. This directs the secretions of a sweet substance called honeydew from their rectal apertures. Many species also have two cornicles – tubes resembling tailpipes – extending from the abdomen.

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