Prorhinotermes simplex (Hagen) (Family Rhinotermitidae) is found only in 
Florida in the United States. It has a very limited distribution on some of the 
southeastern Keys and on the mainland occurs only in Dade County. [t occurs in 
mangrove swamps on the coast and in pine forest areas in the lower Everglades. It is 
fairly common in the Miami area but is not found north of Fort Lauderdale. It has 
not been collected more than 10 km from the coast. This coastal distribution is 
typical of this genus throughout the world (/267). 
Order Hemiptera—True Bugs 
The order Hemiptera consists of a large and widely distributed group of insects. 
The majority of species are terrestrial in habit, but several are aquatic. Many of the 
terrestrial forms are phytophagous and feed on a wide variety of trees and smaller 
plants. Trees, fortunately, are seriously damaged by only a few species. The order 
also contains a large number of predatory species, many of which feed on other 
insects and their eggs. A number of others feed on blood of humans and other 
animals and are decidedly obnoxious or harmful, especially those that transmit 
disease-causing organisms. 
The majority of the Hemiptera have the basal portion of the forewing thickened 
and leathery, and only the apical portion is membranous. It is from this “‘half- 
wing” appearance that the order gets its name. The hindwings are entirely mem- 
branous and usually slightly shorter than the forewings. Both pairs of wings lie flat 
over the abdomen with the membranous distal portion of the front ones overlap- 
ping. The mouth parts consist of a bundle of stylets inside a segmented sheath. This 
slender beak arises from the front part of the head and usually extends backward 
along the underside of the body, sometimes to the base of the hind pair of legs. 
Feeding is accomplished by inserting the stylets into the tissues of the plant or 
animal host and sucking up the juices or blood. The beak sheath folds back beneath 
the insect as the stylets pierce deeper into the tissues. The antennae are fairly long 
and consist of four or five segments. Many species have scent glands which give off 
offensive odors when the insect is disturbed. Comprehensive studies have been 
made of the Hemiptera of eastern North America (/30, 157). 
Family Pentatomidae 
Stink Bugs 
Pentatomids are commonly called “stink bugs” because of the disagreeable odor 
they emit when disturbed. The adult is usually a broad, short, slightly convex 
insect. The antennae are five-segmented, and the head and thorax sometimes form 
a triangle. Many species are brightly colored or conspicuously marked. Green ones 
may be difficult to detect on leaves. Dark-gray ones are also difficult to see when 
they rest on the bark of limbs and trunks of trees. Most species are plant feeders, but 
some feed on other insects, and some feed on both. 
The shieldbacked pine seed bug, Jetyra bipunctata (Herrich-Schaffer), occurs 
on loblolly, slash, shortleaf, longleaf, Virginia, eastern white, red, jack, and sand 
pines and is an important pest in southern pine seed orchards (286, 360). The adults 
and nymphs are oval and have a humpbacked appearance. The adults are about 15 
mm in length. Their color varies from gray-brown in the early stages to a dark 
reddish-brown with black markings as adults. Their shape and color provide 
concealment while they feed on nearly mature cones. When motionless, they are 
not readily noticeable. The eggs are small, green spheres 1.5 mm in diameter. 
About a dozen eggs are laid in two alternate rows along a single needle or in a group 
63 
