Bactrodinae Centrocnemidinae Cetherinae Chryxinae Ectrichodiinae Elasmodeminae Emesinae Microtominae (=Hammacerinae) Harpactorinae Holoptilinae Manangocorinae Peiratinae Phimophorinae Phymatinae Physoderinae Pseudocetherinae Reduviinae Saicinae Salyavatinae Sphaeridopinae Stenopodainae Triatominae Tribelocephalinae Vesciinae Visayanocorinae The Reduviidae is a large cosmopolitan family of the suborder Heteroptera of the order Hemiptera (true bugs).

The main examples of non-predatory Reduviidae are some blood-sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae, with a few species from South America noted for their ability to transmit Chagas disease.

Though spectacular exceptions are known, most members of the family are fairly easily recognizable: they have a relatively narrow neck, sturdy build, and formidable curved proboscis (sometimes called a rostrum).

The most distinctive feature of the family is that the tip of the proboscis fits into a ridged groove in the prosternum, where it can be used to produce sound by stridulation.

Others, members of the subfamily Phymatinae in particular, have forelegs that resemble those of the praying mantis, and they catch and hold their prey in a similar way to mantises.

The nymphal instars of the species Acanthaspis pedestris present one good example of this behaviour where they occur in Tamil Nadu in India.

Some species tend to feed on pests such as cockroaches or bedbugs and are accordingly popular in regions where people regard their hunting as beneficial.

and Catamirus brevipennis (Servile) have been studied because of their activity against human pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria (including strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, and Salmonella typhimurium) and the Gram-positive (Streptococcus pyogenes).

The first cladistic analysis based on molecular data (mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal DNA) was published in 2009 and called into question the monophyly of some current groups, such as the Emesinae.

[14] The oldest fossils of the family are from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) aged Burmese amber, represented by nymphs[15] and the genus Paleotriatoma, belonging to the subfamily Triatominae.