Gelastocoridae

Toad bugs
Gelastocoridae at the edge of the Eel River, California
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Suborder:	Heteroptera
Infraorder:	Nepomorpha
Family:	Gelastocoridae
Genera
Gelastocoris Nerthra

The Gelastocoridae (toad bugs) is a family of about 100 species of insects in the suborder Heteroptera. They are reminiscent of toads both in the warty appearance and hopping movements of some species.

Biology

Gelastocoridae are riparian insects, generally found at the margins of streams and ponds, where they are predators of small insects. Gelastocoridae catch their prey by leaping on top of them and grasping them with their modified front legs.^[1] Members of the family are found throughout the world, but their highest diversity is in the tropics.^[2][3]

Nymphs of many species cover themselves with a layer of sand grains. Apart from the no doubt considerable physical protection that the armour affords them, the layer of sand renders them effectively invisible on the ground unless they move at the wrong moment.^[4]

Diagnostic Characteristics

Gelastocoridae are short (6-15mm long) and stout, with large protuberant eyes and cryptic coloration. Like other Heteroptera, they have hemelytra for their forewings and piercing-sucking mouthparts. Their antennae are hidden.^[1]

This photograph of a nymph near Helderberg in South Africa, demonstrates why they are so difficult to observe in the wild. This specimen was not more than 5mm long.

References

1. Borror DJ, Tripplehorn CA, Johnson NF (1989) An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th edition. Harcourt Brace College Publishers. New York. pg 213
2. Resh VH, Cardé RT (2003) Encyclopedia of Insects. Academic Press, Amsterdam, pg 956
3. Bridget W. Sherrod (June 22, 2014). "Get Rid Of Bed Bugs".
4. Alan Weaving; Mike Picker; Griffiths, Charles Llewellyn (2003). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. New Holland Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 1-86872-713-0.