Coleorrhyncha

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Moss bugs, Beetle bugs

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Suborder:	Coleorrhyncha

Families

Peloridiidae

Coleorrhyncha is traditionally considered a suborder of Hemiptera, though there are alternative classifications in which it is treated as an infraorder within the suborder Prosorrhyncha, in which case it is called Peloridiomorpha (see the Heteroptera and Prosorrhyncha pages for a discussion). The group consists of only a single Gondwanan family, Peloridiidae, which comprises only 13 genera and fewer than 30 species. They are small, ranging in length from 2 to 4 mm, rarely-seen, peculiarly lumpy, flattened bugs found in Chile, Patagonia, New Zealand, eastern Australia, Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia. All the Peloridiidae species are flightless, except one. Their present distribution suggests that they have existed before the break up of Gondwana, and their relation to Heteroptera (true bugs) dates back to at least the upper Permian, more than 230 Myr ago.

Peloridiids are found amongst mosses and liverworts, commonly in association with southern beech forests. They have become known as moss bugs for their habit of feeding on mosses.