ABSTRACT
The Pentatomidae comprise one of the largest families of Heteroptera. Its members usually exhibit one of two feeding habits, although these habits rigidly adhered to, even within a species. A good example of host specificity in the North American Pentatominae is to be found in the preference of the harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, for cabbage and several other Cruciferae. The elongate or barrel-shaped eggs are usually laid in clusters of a few to a several dozen and individually glued to a host plant so that the opercular end is free. The eggs generally hatch within one week and the newly emerged first instar nymphs are often found clinging to the empty egg shells where they remain, apparently without feeding on the host, for about a week until their first molt. The economic importance of these insects varies greatly from species to species and sometimes within a species according to as yet undetermined causes.
