Above: Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus) just after molting. Gray exoskeleton next to it.

ORDER HEMIPTERA

Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising around 80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers,
shield bugs, and others. They range in size from 1 mm to around 15 cm, and share a common arrangement
of sucking mouthparts. The defining feature of hemipterans is their possession of mouthparts where
the mandibles and maxillae have evolved into a proboscis, sheathed within a modified labium to form
a "beak" or "rostrum" which is capable of piercing tissues (usually plant tissues) and sucking out
the liquids — typically sap.

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