Aradidae

Aradidae [ə′rad·ə‚dē]

(invertebrate zoology)

The flat bugs, a family of hemipteran insects in the superfamily Aradoidea.

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Aradidae 

a family of true bugs. The body, which is usually 4 to 10 mm long, is flattened and almost leaflike. The insects are widely distributed. There are approximately 1,000 species, constituting more than 100 genera. Approximately 80 species are encountered in the USSR. The insects are particularly varied in the broad-leaved forests of the Primor’e. They live under tree bark, in cracks in bark, and in the fruiting bodies of tree fungi. The species Aradus cinnamomeus lives under the tiny scales in the bark of young pine trees. It feeds on sap, causing retardation of growth, dessication of the crown, and gradual death of the tree. Control measures include putting sticky rings around the pine trunks and treating the trees with insecticides in early spring and autumn.