Mitochondrial 12S and 16S rDNA sequences of five species of Dinidoridae Stål, 1868, a largely Paleotropical family, and 16 other shield bugs (Pentatomoidea) were studied. This was the first molecular examination of the systematic position of this family within the superfamily Pentatomoidea using more than a single dinidorid species. Phylogenetic trees obtained from the Bayesian inference of 12S and 16S sequences of these mitochondrial DNA, identified Dinidoridae as the monophylum and a sister group to the Tessaratomidae. Moreover, results of the study suggested a close molecular affinity of the genus Eumenotes to representatives of the subfamily Dinidorinae, which contradicts all previous morphological analyses that placed it within the subfamily Megymeninae. We suggest restoring taxonomic status of the tribe Eumenotini and removing it from the synonymy of Megymenini, leaving the genus with no subfamilial assignment for the moment.

An assessment was performed regarding the accuracy of various types of data deposited in the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD) related to the true bug family Cydnidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Taxonomic nomenclature and classification, identification reliability, and the correctness of the data provided in the "Taxon description" were analyzed and commented on with respect to both available versions of the BOLD system, i.e. version 3 and beta version 4. Numerous mistakes in taxonomy, the relevance of the taxa names, and species misidentifications in BOLD version 3 were found and, more importantly, similar errors were detected in BOLD version 4 as well. We suggest that if the BOLD system is presumed to be taxonomically trustworthy, it can't exist without an adequate a priori identification of barcoded specimens. Otherwise, the erroneous data deposited onto the BOLD platform will have a negative impact on studies in which molecular data imported from BOLD are utilized.

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First molecular studies on museum specimens of five families of pentatomoid bugs, namely Cydnidae, Dinidoridae, Parastrachiidae, Tessaratomidae, and Thyreocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea), are presented, as a preliminary approach to molecular phylogenetic analyses of these families. Forty-eight pin-mounted museum specimens representing 46 pentatomoid species collected in the late 19 th and the 20 th century (more than 15 years old, the oldest specimen collected in 1894) were analyzed; and the acquisition of PCR amplifiable mitochondrial DNA (16S and/or 12S rDNA fragments) was successful from 10 specimens, i.e., 2 specimens (2 species) of Cydnidae, 4 specimens (4 species) of Dinidoridae, 1 specimen (1 species) of Parastrachiidae, 1 specimen (1 species) of Tessaratomidae, and 2 specimens (2 species) of Thyreocoridae. The oldest PCR amplifiable mtDNA sample was extracted from Strombosoma impictum (Stål) (Thyreocoridae) collected in 1932 in Zaire.

An annotated checklist of the Balinese Cydnidae is provided. Three species (Chilocoris adelphus, Macroscytus dominiqueae, M. javanus) are recorded for the first time from Bali, including the first Indonesian record for M. dominiqueae. Fromundus pygmaeus is recorded for the second time from the island. Our study increases the number of Cydnidae recorded from Bali to seven, and that known from Indonesia to 58.