Sphaeridopinae

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Sphaeridopinae

Diagnosis and Specialized Morphology

Species of Sphaeridopinae are characterized by:

  1. head slightly projecting beyond anterior margin of compound eyes
  2. compound eyes large and nearly contiguous ventrally
  3. antennae inserted on anteriorly projecting tubercules
  4. labium straight
  5. 3-segmented tarsi

 

Taxonomic History

Taxonomic history for this subfamily is being reviewed.

 

Natural History/Biology

The Sphaeridopinae is a Neotropical subfamily that is comprised of four genera. Pinto (1927) believed that species fed on vertebrate blood based on the structure of the labium. However, according to Schuh & Slater (1995), there appears to be no direct evidence of vertebrate blood-feeding.

 

Check out revisions of the subfamily here!

 

References

Pinto, C. 1927. Sphaeridopidae, nova familia de Hemiptero Reduvioideae, com a descricao de um genero e especie nova. Bol. Biol., Sao Paulo 6: 43-51.

Schuh, R.T., Slater, J.A. 1995. True Bugs of the World (Hemiptera: Heteroptera): Classification and Natural History. Comstock Pub. Associates, Ithaca. 336 pp.

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