ABSTRACT
The family Pentatomidae (stink bugs) occurs worldwide and is comprised of a large group of phytophagous and predaceous species. It is included in the superfamily Pentatomoidea, which in America north of Mexico (hereafter referred to as North America) also includes the Scutelleridae (shieldbacked bugs), Cydnidae (burrower bugs), Thyreocoridae (negro bugs), and Acanthosomatidae (acanthosomatids).
