ABSTRACT
The Pentatomidae is one of the largest families within the Heteroptera. Of the estimated 36,096 described species of Heteroptera, 4,123 species belong to the family Pentatomidae. This family is ranked the third largest together with the Lygaeidae; it is surpassed by the Reduviidae (second largest family) and the Miridae, which is by far the largest family of Heteroptera (C. W. Schaefer, personal communication).
