Saldidae

Saldidae
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous–Recent
Saldula palustris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Superfamily: Saldoidea
Family: Saldidae
Amyot & Serville, 1843
Chartoscirta cocksii

Saldidae, also known as shore bugs, are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are oval-shaped and measure 2–8 mm (0.08–0.31 in) when mature. Typically they are found near shorelines or the marginal growths near freshwater bodies, estuaries, and sea coasts. They can flee by leaping or taking flight.[1] There are about 350 recognized species with the majority from the Nearctic and Palearctic.[2] Many species are found in the intertidal zone and both adults and nymphs of some species like Saldula pallipes can tolerate submergence at high-tide.[3] Saldidae are predators and scavengers. They pass the winter through egg or adult diapause.[4]

  1. ^ MacCafferty, W. Patrick (1983). Aquatic Entomology: The Fishermen's and Ecologists' Illustrated Guide to Insects and Their Relatives (1st ed.). Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 345. ISBN 0867200170.
  2. ^ J.H. Thorp; D.C. Rogers, eds. (2015). Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates: Ecology and General Biology. Vol. 1 (4 ed.). Elsevier. p. 954. ISBN 978-0-12-385026-3.
  3. ^ Brown, E. S. (1948). "The Ecology of Saldidae (Hemiptera-Heteroptera) Inhabiting a Salt Marsh, with Observations on the Evolution of Aquatic Habits in Insects". Journal of Animal Ecology. 17 (2): 180–188. doi:10.2307/1482. ISSN 0021-8790. JSTOR 1482.
  4. ^ Stock, M. W.; Lattin, J. D. (1976). "Biology of Intertidal Saldula palustris (Douglas) on the Oregon Coast (Heteroptera: Saldidae)". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 49 (3): 313–326. ISSN 0022-8567. JSTOR 25082827.