Family overview
Elongated head with curved, three-segmented beak. Most are predators that stab prey. Some species feed on vertebrate blood (kissing bugs).
Kissing bugs transmit Chagas disease in Latin America. Most species are highly beneficial garden predators.
At a glance
Family facts.
Distribution
Worldwide
Habitat
Terrestrial · Parasitic
Approx. species
7,000
Notable members
Wheel bug (Arilus cristatus), masked hunter, kissing bugs (Triatominae)