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X-marking on back of Heteroptera

		The insect suborder Heteroptera includes the "true bugs." Most of these insects can be identified by the X that the front half of their forewings make when folded against their back. The front half of the forewing is a hard, leathery material that helps protect the insect, while the back half is membranous. The X on the back of the kissing bug, pictured to the left, clearly shows where the leathery and membranous parts of the wing meet. Kissing bugs can be found in houses where they bite people in their sleep.
X on back of kissing bug
Photo by Bart Drees, used with permission, from Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University

Page created by: Kevin Moses and Bill Deitch