Bug

Bug, Pol. Bug, Ukr. Buh or Zakhidnyy Buh, river, c.480 mi (770 km) long, rising in the Volhynian-Podolian hills, W Ukraine. It flows N along the Polish-Ukrainian and Polish-Belarusian borders past Brest and then NW through Poland to join the Vistula River (with the Narew) near Warsaw. It is linked with the Dnieper by the Dnieper-Bug Canal via the Pina River and with the Niemen by the Augustov Canal via the Narva River. The Bug is also known as the Western Bug.

Bug or Southern Bug, river, Ukraine: see Buh.

bug, common name correctly applied to insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, although members of the order Homoptera (e.g., mealybug) are sometimes referred to as bugs, as are other insects in general. The true bugs (Hemipterans) have a characteristic pair of front wings that are partially thickened and darkened at the base and partially membranous at the apex. Development is gradual through an incomplete metamorphosis with a number of nymphal stages before the reproductively mature adult stage is reached. Most bugs are terrestrial, but many are aquatic (e.g., various water bugs).

Although bugs vary greatly in size, color, and physical appearance, they all have piercing-sucking mouthparts in the form of a jointed beak. Most species suck plant juices (e.g., the squash bug and chinch bug); however, some suck the blood of other insects and spiders (e.g., the assassin bug and backswimmer). Others, such as the bedbug, feed on people and other animals. Many of these insects characteristically secrete defensive substances (e.g., the stinkbug). The true bugs are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Hemiptera.

or leaf-footed bug

Any of more than 2,000 widely distributed insect species (family Coreidae), including many important plant pests. Most species are dull-coloured and more than 0.4 in. (10 mm) long. Many have enlarged, flattened extensions on the legs. The North American squash bug (Anasa tristis) is an important pest of squash, melon, and pumpkin (plants in the gourd family). It is basically yellow but is covered with black pits that make it look black. The larvae feed underground, and the piercing and sucking mouthparts of the adults enable them to attack the parts of plants that insecticides rarely penetrate.

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or wood louse

Any of certain terrestrial crustaceans of the order Isopoda, especially members of the genus Oniscus. Native to Europe, they have been introduced into North America. Sow bugs grow to 0.7 in. (18 mm) long. The oval, gray body is rather arched and is covered with broad, armourlike plates. Two elbowed antennae extend about half the length of the body, and there are seven pairs of limbs. The sow bug lives in moist places, especially under stones, in moist leaf litter, and in cellars. Seealso pill bug.

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or potato bug

Leaf beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata, family Chrysomelidae) native to western North America. It began feeding on the leaves of cultivated potatoes when the plants were introduced into western North America, and by 1874 it had become an important and widespread pest. It has a hemispherical body, about 0.4 in. (10 mm) long, and is orange-red or yellow, with black stripes on the wing covers. Depending on climate, potato beetles may produce one to three generations each year.

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Any species of terrestrial crustacean in the genera Armadillidium and Armadillo (both in the order Isopoda), native to Europe and introduced worldwide. Pill bugs (sometimes called wood lice) resemble tiny armadillos in appearance and behaviour; they have a gray, oval body covered with platelike armour and, when disturbed, roll into a ball. They are about 0.75 in. (19 mm) long. Pill bugs live in dry, sunny places, in dry leaf litter, and on forest edges. Seealso sow bug.

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or lightning bug

Any of the nocturnal luminous beetles of the family Lampyridae, consisting of about 1,900 species that inhabit tropical and temperate regions (including the common glowworm). Adult fireflies are 0.2–1 in. (5–25 mm) long and have light-producing organs on the underside of the abdomen. The soft, flattened, dark-brown or black body is often marked with orange or yellow. Some adult fireflies do not eat; others feed on pollen and nectar. Most fireflies produce short, rhythmic flashes in a pattern that is characteristic of the species and an important mating signal.

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Any of about 4,000 insect species (family Reduviidae) characterized by a thin, necklike structure connecting the narrow head to the body. Many species are common to North and South America. Ranging in size from 0.5 to 1 in. (13–25 mm), assassin bugs use their short, three-segmented beak to suck body fluids from their victims. Most assassin bugs prey on other insects; some, however, suck blood from vertebrates, including humans, and transmit diseases. One species, the large assassin bug, defends itself by accurately “spitting” saliva toxic enough to blind a human.

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or May beetle or June bug

Any insect of the genus Phyllophaga, belonging to a widely distributed, plant-feeding scarab beetle subfamily (Melolonthinae). These red-brown beetles commonly appear in the Northern Hemisphere on warm spring evenings and are attracted to lights. Heavy-bodied, they are 0.5–1 in. (1.2–2.5 cm) long and have shiny wing covers. They feed on foliage and flowers at night, sometimes causing considerable damage. The larvae live in the soil, and can destroy crops and kill lawns and pastures by severing the grasses from their roots; they are considered excellent fish bait.

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Bug or BUG can refer to:

Biology

• An insect of the order Hemiptera, also known as the "true bugs". (Older taxonomies identify a suborder Heteroptera.)
• Any arthropod (excepting most crustaceans); includes insects, but also non-insects such as spiders and centipedes
• A pathogen such as virus or bacteria that causes illness
• Bug (dog breed) a hybrid breed of a pug and a Boston terrier
• One of several species of slipper lobster, such as
• Moreton Bay bug
• Balmain bug
• A crayfish, sometimes called a mudbug or mud bug,

Technology

• Software bug, or a software defect
• Covert listening device, commonly used in espionage and in police investigations
• Device for telephone tapping
• Integrated circuit chip, for its buglike appearance
• Manually positioned marker in flight instruments
• A semi-automated telegraph key
• Volkswagen Beetle (slang)
• Bond Bug, car
• Digital on-screen graphic, generally used as a form of television station identification
• Web bug, an object that is embedded in a web page or e-mail that allows checking that a user has viewed the page or e-mail
• The Kettering Bug, an early cruise missile.

Art and media

• Bug (2006 film), psychological thriller directed by William Friedkin
• Bug (2006 soundtrack), soundtrack of the 2006 film
• Bug (2002 film), comedy-drama about a chain of events begun by a boy squashing a bug
• Bug (1975 film), a film directed by Jeannot Szwarc in 1975
• Bug (Starship Troopers), a fictional alien race from the novel and film Starship Troopers
• Bug (play), thriller/black comedy
• Bug (Dinosaur Jr album), a 1988 album by Dinosaur Jr
• Bug (Dave Davies album), a 2002 album by Dave Davies
• "Bug," a song by Phish from their 2000 album Farmhouse
• BUG Magazine, Croatian magazine
• Bug! a video game
• Bug Too! the sequel video games
• Bug, a character in the Marvel comic book series The Micronauts

Other

• Brooklyn Union Gas, now known as KeySpan Corporation
• Bug (poker), a restricted wild card
• A holdout device for a card cheat
• Western Bug, a river in Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus
• Southern Bug, a river in Ukraine
• The Buginese language (ISO 639 code bug)
• Bicycle User Group, a group set up to promote cycling issues
• A union label, a mark used by labor unions