He*mip"te*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. half + wing, fr. to fly.] Zool.
An order of hexapod insects having a jointed proboscis, including four sharp stylets (mandibles and maxillae), for piercing. In many of the species (Heteroptera) the front wings are partially coriaceous, and different from the others.
⇒ They are divided into the Heteroptera, including the squash bug, soldier bug, bedbug, etc.; the Homoptera, including the cicadas, cuckoo spits, plant lice, scale insects, etc.; the Thysanoptera, including the thrips, and, according to most recent writers, the Pediculina or true lice.
© Webster 1913.