Latin: Hemiptera — Relevance to Fly Fishing:
True bugs are insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts, found in various habitats and serving diverse ecological roles.
On this map you see where there were observations of True Bugs around the world. This will give you an idea of the global distribution of this class. Note that a class can have many different families, and thousands of species.
Years 2000 until now, data from GBIF
The insect class Hemiptera, commonly known as true bugs, is a diverse group consisting of over 80,000 known species. This class is characterized by their piercing and sucking mouthparts, which they use to feed on plant sap or other insects. Hemiptera is divided into numerous families and genera, with some of the most well-known families including Aphididae (aphids), Cicadidae (cicadas), and Gerridae (water striders), among others.
Hemiptera insects can be found in a wide range of countries across the globe, inhabiting diverse environments such as forests, grasslands, and aquatic ecosystems. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
The life cycle of Hemiptera insects typically consists of three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. The duration of each stage varies among species and can be influenced by factors such as temperature, humidity, and food availability.
Female Hemiptera lay their eggs on or near their preferred food source, depending on the species. Upon hatching, the nymphs begin to feed and undergo several molts as they grow. Nymphs closely resemble adults but lack fully developed wings and reproductive organs. After completing their final molt, nymphs become sexually mature adults.
Certain Hemiptera insects, particularly those living in or near aquatic environments, can be a food source for fish and are relevant to fly fishing. Some well-known Hemiptera insects that are targeted by fly fishers include:
There can be thousands of species within an order, and therefore lots of different flies imitating various of these species. Flies can also imitate different stages, for example larvae, pupae and adults.
Each order has an indication of its relevance to fly fishing:
= Not so relevant
= Somewhat relevant
= Most relevant
Megaloptera
Hymenoptera
Coleoptera
Psocoptera
Archaeognatha
Lepidoptera
Trichoptera
Blattodea
Odonata
Dermaptera
Siphonaptera
Orthoptera
Neuroptera
Mantodea
Ephemeroptera
Mecoptera
Raphidioptera
Phasmida
Plecoptera
Thysanoptera
Diptera
Strepsiptera
Embioptera
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