Shore Bugs

Family Saldidae

Salda pallipes. Photo:Stephanie Boucher

Shore bugs are predaceous on other insects and are common along the shores of streams, ponds or sea coasts. They run quickly along the shore hunting for prey. When they are disturbed they fly quickly for a short distance and then hide under vegetation or in crevices. Shore bugs are small, oval, flattened bugs that are dark brown or black. They have wide heads with large eyes. They can be distinguished from other families of Hemiptera by their wing venation; they have four or five long closed cells in the membrane of the hemielytron.