ABSTRACT
The superfamily Pentatomoidea comprises 18 families worldwide with over 8,000 species, the largest of which is the Pentatomidae. Six families are represented in America north of Mexico: Acanthosomatidae, Cydnidae, Pentatomidae, Scutelleridae, Thyreocoridae, and Plataspidae. Phytophagous pentatomoids feed on a wide variety of fruit, vegetable, nut, and grain crops as well as wild hosts. The tribal classification remains in a state of chaos and requires a thorough phylogenetic analysis. With few exceptions, the family and subfamily classification now seems relatively stable. Attempts to standardize terminology involving plant and animal invasions, as noted by J. A. Davis, Blackburn et al., and Heger et al., have met with minimal success. J. A. Davis, even though he preferred other terminology, acknowledged the absurdity of omitting the word "invasion" from his book on invasion biology. Invasion biology, the study of organisms that become established in areas outside their native ranges, assumed prominence in the 1980s.
