Gelastocoris Nerthra The Gelastocoridae (toad bugs) is a family of about 100 species of insects in the suborder Heteroptera.

Apart from the no doubt considerable physical protection that the armour affords them, the layer of sand renders them effectively invisible on the ground unless they move at the wrong moment.

[6] Gelastocoridae are short (6–15 mm or 0.24–0.59 in long) and stout, with large protuberant eyes and cryptic coloration.

[2] Males in the genera Nerthra have stridulatory mechanisms in the genital capsule, however sound produced by stridulation has never been observed.

[7] The oldest record of the family is the genus Cratonerthra from the Aptian aged Crato Formation of Brazil.