SYSTEMATIC DISCUSSION 
Order HEMIPTERA Linnaeus 
The Hemiptera as indicated in the time of Linnaeus were, in 
substance, those of the present day except that the Thrips are 
now excluded. The name Rhynchota or Rhyngota has been used 
from time to time by various authors to designate this order but 
this seems to have come about through Fabricius’ use of the 
name in his ‘‘Systema Entomologiae’’ published in 1775. How- 
ever, in order to be consistent with the laws of priority we must 
adhere to the nomenclature offered by Linnaeus in the 10th edi- 
tion of his ‘‘Systema Naturae’’ published in 1758. 
This order contains about 35,000 described species, approxi- 
mately 7,000 of which are found in North America. Great 
variety in form, color, structure and habits obtains in the order 
which is also of considerable economic importance. This fact 
is forcefully put by David Sharp, the noted English entomolo- 
gist who says that ‘‘If anything were to exterminate the enemies 
of Hemiptera, we ourselves should probably be starved in the 
course of a few months.”’ 
Apparently the Hemiptera are not very closely related to any 
other order of existing insects. The earliest hemipteriod type 
apparently dates from the Lower Permian in the species Euger- 
eon boeckingi Dohrn, and it is in this form that we find the first 
instance of typical hemipterous mouth parts. Although the ree- 
ord is far from complete, this ancient Protohemipteron probably 
connects up the Palaeodictyoptera with the modern Hemiptera. 
The members of the order Hemiptera are contained in two 
fairly easily delimitable suborders, the Homoptera and _ the 
Heteroptera which, early in the geological history of the group, 
became differentiated from each other. It is with the Heterop- 
tera only that we have to deal here. 
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