Acanthosomatidae

Last updated

Acanthosomatidae
Acanthosomatidae sizes.jpg
Acanthosomatidae - relative sizes
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Superfamily: Pentatomoidea
Family: Acanthosomatidae
Signoret, 1864
Subfamilies

Acanthosomatinae
Blaudusinae
Ditomotarsinae

Oncacontias vittatus HEMI Acanthosomatidae Oncacontias vittatus f.png
Oncacontias vittatus

Acanthosomatidae is a family of Hemiptera, commonly named "shield bugs" or "stink bugs". Kumar in his 1974 world revision recognized 47 genera; [1] now this number is 55 genera, with about 200 species, and it is one of the least diverse families within Pentatomoidea. [2] [3] The Acanthosomatidae species are found throughout the world, being most abundant in high-latitude temperate regions and in subtropical regions at high altitudes. [4]

Contents

One of the most well-known species in Acanthosomatidae is the hawthorn shield bug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale), which is found throughout Europe and also northern Siberia; this species is typically green or brown in color and has a distinctive shape with two projections on its thorax. It feeds on a variety of plants, including hawthorn, rowan, and cherry.

Description

Acanthosomatidae have heads that are keeled laterally and possess a pair of 5-segmented antennae. The mesosternum has a strongly projecting keel. The tarsi of the legs are 2-segmented. The second visible abdominal sternite has an elongate spine that projects forwards. The spiracles of the second abdominal segment are concealed by the metapleura. Abdominal sternite III has paired trichobothria. In males, sternite VIII is exposed and there is a specialised genital capsule. In females, one or two pairs of Pendergrast's organs are present in the abdomen (sometimes absent, e.g. Elasmucha [4] ) and sternite VII has an emarginate posterior margin. [5]

In general appearance, Acanthosomatidae are similar to Pentatomidae. Various sources distinguish them based on the number of tarsal segments being 2 in acanthosomatids and 3 in pentatomids. [6] [7] However, some pentatomids have 2-segmented tarsi as well. [8]

Ecology

Acanthosomatidae are mostly herbivores on trees and shrubs. Host plants include Ficus , Hakea , Carex , Juncus , Cladium and Dactylis . There are also records of predation (including cannibalism) and scavenging on carrion. [5]

Maternal care

Many species have females which take care of their offspring, guarding the eggs and nymphs. In these species, the Pendergrast's organs are absent or reduced and non-functional. Other species have a more limited form of care: females smear their eggs with secretions from the Pendergrast's organs (which may repel predators and parasitoids), then abandon the eggs. Egg smearing is the ancestral behaviour. [9]

Genera

Examples of genera and species:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentatomoidea</span> Superfamily of true bugs

The Pentatomoidea are a superfamily of insects in the suborder Heteroptera of the order Hemiptera. As hemipterans, they possess a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts. The roughly 7000 species under Pentatomoidea are divided into 21 families. Among these are the stink bugs and shield bugs, jewel bugs, giant shield bugs, and burrower bugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentatomidae</span> Family of insects

Pentatomidae is a family of insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, generally called shield bugs or stink bugs. Pentatomidae is the largest family in the superfamily Pentatomoidea, and contains around 900 genera and over 4700 species. As hemipterans, the pentatomids have piercing sucking mouthparts, and most are phytophagous, including several species which are severe pests on agricultural crops. However, some species, particularly in the subfamily Asopinae, are predatory and may be considered beneficial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parent bug</span> Species of true bug

Elasmucha grisea, common name parent bug, is a species of shield bugs or stink bugs belonging to the family Acanthosomatidae. The term parent bugs includes also the other species of the genus Elasmucha and some species of the family Acanthosomatidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scutelleridae</span> Family of insects

Scutelleridae is a family of true bugs. They are commonly known as jewel bugs or metallic shield bugs due to their often brilliant coloration. With the name based on the Asian genus Scutellera, they are also known as shield-backed bugs due to the enlargement of the thoracic scutellum into a continuous shield over the abdomen and wings. This latter characteristic distinguishes them from most other families within Heteroptera, and may lead to misidentification as a beetle rather than a bug. These insects feed on plant juices from a variety of different species, including some commercial crops. Closely related to stink bugs, they may also produce an offensive odour when disturbed. There are around 450 species worldwide.

Sangarius is an Australian genus of shield bug in the family Acanthosomatidae. The type species is Sangarius paradoxusStål, 1866. It feeds on Hakea shrubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorn shield bug</span> Species of true bug

The hawthorn shield bug is a common European shield bug. Its chief food is haws, the fruit of the hawthorn tree, but adults can overwinter on a diet of leaves, and individuals can be found on many potential food plants, including pedunculate oak, sessile oak and whitebeam. They may grow up to 17 mm (0.67 in) long, and are camouflaged in shades of green and brown. Like many so-called "stink bugs", they may release unpleasant odours when disturbed.

<i>Elasmostethus interstinctus</i> Species of true bug

Elasmostethus interstinctus, the birch shield bug, is species of shield bug in the Acanthosomatidae family. Shield bugs are often called "stink bugs" because they excrete a foul smelling liquid that is used to deter predators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juniper shield bug</span> Species of true bug

The juniper shield bug, , is a large (9–10.5 mm) green shield bug with distinctive pinkish-red markings on the corium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinidoridae</span> Family of true bugs

Dinidoridae is a small family of hemipteran "true bugs" comprising about sixteen genera and a hundred species the Hemiptera suborder Heteroptera. As a group the family does not have any common name. Until the late 19th century they were generally regarded as a subfamily of Pentatomidae.

<i>Peribalus strictus</i> Species of true bug

Peribalus strictus, common name Vernal Shieldbug, is a species of shield bugs in the family Pentatomidae.

<i>Rhaphigaster</i> Genus of stink bugs

Rhaphigaster is a genus of stink bugs in the family Pentatomidae. Its most well-known member is the mottled shieldbug, Rhaphigaster nebulosa.

<i>Elasmostethus</i> Genus of true bugs

Elasmostethus is a genus of shield bugs belonging to the family Acanthosomatidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpocorini</span> Tribe of true bugs

Carpocorini is a tribe of stink bugs in the family Pentatomidae. There are more than 100 genera in Carpocorini.

<i>Hypsithocus hudsonae</i> Species of true bug

Hypsithocus hudsonae, sometimes called the alpine shield bug or black alpine shield bug, is a species of flightless shield bug endemic to New Zealand. Few specimens have ever been collected and these have come from a relatively narrow geographical range. The New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies this species as 'At Risk,' with qualifiers 'data poor' and 'range restricted.'

<i>Monteithiella humeralis</i> Species of shield bug of the family Pentatomidae

Monteithiella humeralis, commonly known as the pittosporum shield bug is a species of herbivorous shield bug native to Australia and introduced in New Zealand. As its common name suggests, it is most commonly observed feeding on Pittosporum plants.

<i>Acanthosoma</i> Genus of true bugs

Acanthosoma is a genus of shield bugs in the family Acanthosomatidae, found in Europe, Asia, and Oceania. There are more than 20 described species in Acanthosoma.

<i>Cuspicona simplex</i> Species of true bug

Cuspicona simplex, commonly known as the green potato bug, is a herbivorous species of stink bug native to Australia and introduced to New Zealand. It feeds on nightshades. It is primarily known as a pest of potatoes, tomatoes, and other crops in the nightshade family.

Rhopalimorpha is a genus of insects in the shield bug family Acanthosomatidae. It is native to Australia and New Zealand. There are four species in the genus, of which three are found in New Zealand.

References

  1. Kumar, R. (1974). "A revision of world Acanthosomatidae (Heteroptera : Pentatomidae): Keys to and descriptions of subfamilies, tribes and genera, with designation of types". Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series. 22 (34): 1–60. doi:10.1071/ajzs034.
  2. Faúndez, E. I. 2009. Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Acrophyma Bergroth, 1917 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Acanthosomatidae). Zootaxa. 2137: 57-65
  3. FaúNdez, Eduardo I. (2014-02-28). "A new genus for a Chilean species of Acanthosomatidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)". Zootaxa. 3768 (5): 596–600. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3768.5.7. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   24871197.
  4. 1 2 Thomas, Donald B. (1991). "The Acanthosomatidae (Heteroptera) of North America". The Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 67 (3): 159––170.
  5. 1 2 "Family ACANTHOSOMATIDAE". biodiversity.org.au. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  6. Larivière, M-C (1995). Fauna of New Zealand 35: Cydnidae, Acanthosomatidae, and Pentatomidae (Insecta: Heteroptera): systematics, geographical distribution, and bioecology. Manaaki Whenua Press. doi:10.7931/j2/fnz.35.
  7. Paiero, S. M.; Marshall, S. A.; McPherson, J. E.; Ma, M.-S. (2013). "Stink bugs (Pentatomidae) and parent bugs (Acanthosomatidae) of Ontario and adjacent areas: A key to species and a review of the fauna". Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification. 24. doi: 10.3752/cjai.2013.24 .
  8. Rider, D. A. (2000-07-01). "Stirotarsinae, New Subfamily for Stirotarsus abnormis Bergroth (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)" (PDF). Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 93 (4): 802–806. doi:10.1603/0013-8746(2000)093[0802:SNSFSA]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   85843310.
  9. Tsai, Jing-Fu; Kudo, Shin-ichi; Yoshizawa, Kazunori (2015). "Maternal care in Acanthosomatinae (Insecta: Heteroptera: Acanthosomatidae)—correlated evolution with morphological change". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (1): 258. Bibcode:2015BMCEE..15..258T. doi: 10.1186/s12862-015-0537-4 . ISSN   1471-2148. PMC   4653913 . PMID   26586480.