- Coleorrhyncha
Taxobox
name = Moss bugs, Beetle bugs
regnum =Animalia
phylum =Arthropoda
classis =Insecta
ordo =Hemiptera
subordo = Coleorrhyncha
subdivision_ranks = Families
subdivision = PeloridiidaeColeorrhyncha is traditionally considered a suborder of
Hemiptera , though there are alternative classifications in which it is treated as an infraorder within the suborderProsorrhyncha , in which case it is called Peloridiomorpha (see theHeteroptera andProsorrhyncha pages for a discussion). The group consists of only a single Gondwanan family, Peloridiidae, which comprises only 13 genera and fewer than 30 species. They are small, ranging in length from 2 to 4 mm, rarely-seen, peculiarly lumpy, flattened bugs found inChile ,Patagonia ,New Zealand , easternAustralia ,Lord Howe Island andNew Caledonia . All the Peloridiidae species are flightless, except one. Their present distribution suggests that they have existed before the break up of Gondwana, and their relation toHeteroptera (true bugs) dates back to at least the upperPermian , more than 230 Myr ago.Peloridiids are found amongst
moss es andliverwort s, commonly in association with southern beech forests. They have become known as moss bugs for their habit of feeding on mosses.References
*
=* "Peloridium hammoniorum" http://homepage.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Andre.Mursch/14.htm
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