| Rhopalidae | |
|---|---|
| Box Elder Bug (Boisea trivittata ) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Infraorder: | Pentatomomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Coreoidea |
| Family: | Rhopalidae Amyot and Serville, 1843 |
| Subfamilies | |
|
Rhopalinae |
|
Rhopalidae, or scentless plant bugs are a family of true bugs. In older literature, the family is sometimes called "Corizidae". They differ from the related coreids in lacking well-developed scent glands. They are usually light-colored and smaller than the coreids. Some are very similar to the orsilline lygaeids, but can be distinguished by the numerous veins in the membrane of the hemelytra. They live principally on weeds, but a few (including the box elder bug) are arboreal. All are plant feeders. Currently 18 genera and over 200 species of rhopalids are known.
The box elder bug, Boisea trivittata, is a common and widely distributed North American species in this group. It is blackish with red markings and 11–14 mm long. It often enters houses and other sheltered places in the fall, sometimes in considerable numbers. It feeds on box elder and occasionally other trees.[1].