| Cydnidae Temporal range: Oligocene–Recent |
|
|---|---|
| Sehirus cinctus nymph | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Superfamily: | Pentatomoidea |
| Family: | Cydnidae Billberg, 1820 |
| Genera | |
... |
|
Cydnidae are a family of shield bugs, known by common names including burrowing bugs or burrower bugs[1]. In some classifications, Cydnidae includes the family Thyreocoridae (sometimes referred to as "Corimelaenidae"), which are known commonly as negro bugs or ebony bugs, and/or the family Parastrachiidae. Though similar in appearance to a beetle at casual glance, they can be distinguished by both their piercing/sucking mouthparts, and wing configuration (beetle elytra are split directly down the back of the insect). Of some 750 species of burrower bugs, 27 are reported as crop pests, and six species are thought to feed on peanut.
Burrower bugs are not regarded as significant pests, and relatively little is known of their biology.