Pentatomidae Key Glossary
Abdomen: The last division of the insect body. The first is the head and the second the thorax.
Antennal segments: The number of segments caused by constrictions in the antennae, excluding the segment that inserts into the head.
Antennifers: A pivoting extension allowing free movement of the scape in the antennal socket.
Apex: The opposite end to the base. For insect body parts, the base is usually the end attached to the greater part of the insect body.
Apical: At the end of, or relating to the end.
Apterous: Fore and hindwings missing altogether; wingless.
Areolate: Containing many small, irregularly shaped cells. The raised veins may resemble an irregular network.
Basal: At the base of, or at the point of attachment to the main portion of the insect.
Bilateral: With 2 symmetrical sides.
Brachypterous: Forewings reduced, not extending beyond abdominal tergum five. The clavus and corium identifiable, though the claval suture may be indistinct.
Buccula (pl., bucculae): Flange on the underside of the head lateral to the first segment of the labium.
Callus (pl. calli): Area of elevated or fused impressions of the cuticle on the anterior part of the pronotum.
Carinate: Ridged or keeled.
Cell: An area of the wing membrane enclosed by wing veins.
Cladocerans: Crustaceans commonly called water fleas.
Claval suture: A suture on the Heteroptera forewing that separates the clavus from the corium
Clavus: An area of the forewing separated from the rest of the wing by the claval suture. At rest, the clavus lies alongside the scutellum.
Clypeus: The portion of the insect head that is below the frons but above the labrum.
Coleopterous: Wings that have the appearance of those of beetles ie. hardened and meeting down the midline of the body.
Concolourous: Of all the same colour.
Coriaceous: Having the texture of leather.
Corium: That portion of the Heteroptera wing exclusive of the membrane and the clavus
Coxa (pl., coxae): The first segment of the insect leg, attached to the insect body at the basal end and the trochanter at the distal end.
Distal: Furthest from the body.
Dorsal: The top of the insect. Dorsal view is to look at it from above.
Dorsolateral: The area where the dorsal surface and the lateral surface meet.
Femur: The third segment of the insect leg, situated between the trochanter and tibia.
Forelegs: The front pair of legs.
Forewings: The front pair of wings.
Forewing membrane: The membranous part of the the forewing, which may consist of the whole wing in some forms, but only the rear half of the wing in others that have hemelytra. Some forms that have coleopterous or coriaceous wings have no forewing membrane.
Frons: The front portion on the top of the insect head between the clypeus and the ocelli. In Heteroptera it generally extends from the ocelli down to the beginning of the mouthparts.
Genitalia: The reproductive organs, found at the apex of the abdomen.
Hemelytron (pl., Hemelytra): A wing type that consists of a sclerotised fore portion and a membranous rear portion.
Hindlegs: The rear pair of legs.
Labium: A tube-like or snout-like extension of the head, containing the mouthparts. Also called the rostrum.
Labrum: The upper lip of the insect mouth. In Heteroptera this has been modified so that it overlaps or covers a small basal portion of the labium.
Lateral: The side of the insect. Lateral view is looking at it from the side.
Lateral margin: The join between the dorsal and ventral plates of the Heteroptera abdomen.
Macropterous: Fully winged, or very nearly so. Wings extending at least to abdominal tergum six. Clavus and corium present and distinct.
Membranous: Thin, and usually also transparent though there may be some colouration to the membrane.
Mesosternum: The sternal plate of the mesothorax.
Mesothorax: The second segment of the thorax bearing the second pair of legs.
Micropterous: Wings reduced such that they cover no more than the base of the abdomen. Hind wings absent or reduced to small flaps.
Nymphs: Young insects that have not reached adulthood.
Ocelli: Small simple lenses. They are circular or semi-circular in shape, polished and situated between the eyes on the dorsal surface of the head.
Pedunculate: Located on a stalk.
Peritremes: Sclerotised plate on the external opening of the metapleural scent glands.
Porrect: extending forward horizontally.
Preapical: Before the end or apex.
Pretarsus: The last segment of the insect leg, usually a claw or pair of claws.
Pronotum: In dorsal view, usually the first plate of the insect thorax behind the head. It is commonly wider than long and is bounded by the scutellum at the rear.
Prosternum: In ventral view the first plate of the thorax extending from the head to between the first pair of coxae.
Punctate: Impressed with pits or punctations. Pitted.
Riparian: Living at the edge of water bodies such as streams and rivers
Rostrum: A tube-like or snout-like extension of the head, containing the mouthparts. Also called the labium.
S3-S7: A shorthand way of writing "ventral abdominal segment.." and then the number of that segment. The abdomen of bugs has 2 surfaces, the dorsal surface and the ventral surface, divided by the lateral margin. The plates of the ventral surface are called sternites and are numbered from the base of the abdomen to the apex. The first abdominal sternite (S1) is not visible and S2 usually occurs as a very thin band between the thorax and the first completely visible sternite (S3). The sternites are then numbered out to the apex of the abdomen.
Scape: The first or basal segment of the antennae.
Sclerite: A sclerotised plate on the exterior of the insect body.
Sclerotised: A hardening of the surface of a particular structure. Most of the exterior of the insect body is sclerotised.
Scutellum: A triangular plate on the dorsal surface of the Heteropteran thorax. It is usually placed at the point where the wings are attached to the body (if the wings are present).
Sternal plates: The external insect body is composed of sclerotised plates, the sternal plates are on the underside of the body.
Stridulation: The production of sound, usually through the rubbing of one part of the body against another.
Subrectangular: Roughly rectangular in shape.
Subtriangular: Roughly triangular in shape.
Sulcate: With a deep groove or furrow.
Tarsi (adj., tarsal): The fifth segment of the leg. Itself usually consisting of 1-5 segments and usually bearing claws (pretarsus). Located at the end of the tibia.
Tegminal: Slightly more sclerotised than a membranous wing, but not to the extent of a distinctly differentiated hemelytron.
Terga (sing., tergum): The dorsal surface of any segment of the insect body.
Thorax: The second segment of the insect body. The first is the head and the last the abdomen.
Tibia: Fourth segment of the leg, located between the femur and the (usually) segmented tarsi.
Trochanter: The second segment of the insect leg, situated between the coxa (which is attached to the insect body) and the femur.
Veins: See wing veins.
Venation: The veins of the insect wing. See wing veins.
Wing veins: Structures of the insect wing that are hardened and sclerotised, often darkened and raised above the wing surface.
Copyright © Australian Museum 2016
Authors: Gerry Cassis, Emma Betts and Michael Elliott