Which insect is a Hemipteran with sucking mouthparts?

Which insect is a Hemipteran with sucking mouthparts?

• A. Lace Bug
• B. Luna Moth
• C. Japanese Beetle
• D. Long-Horned Grasshopper

Answer: (A)

The key idea is mouthparts and insect order. In true bugs (Hemiptera), the mouthparts are piercing-sucking, designed to insert a slender beak into plant tissue and suck out fluids. Lace bugs are tiny Hemipterans that feed this way, so they have the characteristic sucking mouthparts of this group. The other insects come from different groups: the Luna Moth is a Lepidopteran, which typically has a long, siphoning proboscis for nectar rather than piercing-sucking mouthparts; the Japanese Beetle is a beetle with chewing mouthparts; and the Long-Horned Grasshopper is an Orthopteran, also with chewing mouthparts.

The key idea is mouthparts and insect order. In true bugs (Hemiptera), the mouthparts are piercing-sucking, designed to insert a slender beak into plant tissue and suck out fluids. Lace bugs are tiny Hemipterans that feed this way, so they have the characteristic sucking mouthparts of this group.

The other insects come from different groups: the Luna Moth is a Lepidopteran, which typically has a long, siphoning proboscis for nectar rather than piercing-sucking mouthparts; the Japanese Beetle is a beetle with chewing mouthparts; and the Long-Horned Grasshopper is an Orthopteran, also with chewing mouthparts.