As of 2017[update], three subspecies are recognized: the nominate subspecies A. m. melanocephalus, A. m. austerus, and A. m. melandiscus.[10] Amyot gave the mononym Melandiscus for a specimen which Vittore Ghiliani had collected in Piedmont.[8] In 1869, the Italian entomologist Antonio Garbiglietti designated Amyot's melandiscus as a variety of A. melanocephalus.[11] This subspecies is found in Italy.[12] The subspecies A. m. austerus was named by the German entomologist Wolfgang Stichel in 1957.[13]
Maximum-likelihood tree of some Arocatus species. Star denotes when the ability to sequester cardenolides was lost.[14]
A. melanocephalus, unlike many Lygaeinae species, only stored less than 7% of the cardenolides [3H]-ouabain or [3H]-digoxin ten days after being fed these substances.[14] A 2015 phylogenetic study of the subfamily Lygaeinae included four species of the genus Arocatus: A. aenescens, A. rusticus, A. rusticus, and A. melanocephalus; it placed A. melanocephalus in a clade with A. longiceps — the other Arocatus which could not store cardenolides.[14]
It has been found on Ulmus (elm) species, Platanus orientalis (old world sycamore),[4]Populus (poplar) species, as well as inside empty butterfly pupa covers.[15] It has also been recorded on Quercus (oak) and Alnus (alder) species.[16]
Adults produce a strong, unpleasant smell which is reminiscent of bitter almonds.[17] The scent glands' openings are on the metathorax, between the second and third pairs of legs.[18]
The body is dark red in color, and it is covered in short hairs. The head is black, and antennae are also mostly black, although on occasion the III and IV segments are partly red. The pronotum has a M-shaped spot.[4] The underbelly is orange, and adults measure 0.33in (8.4mm) in length.[19]
Within Europe, it has been found in the countries Andorra, Austria, Belgium,[citation needed] Bosnia & Herzebovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands,[21] Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia,[16] Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine.[4] However many of these central European records are quite old, dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries; it is thought they had become rarer in Europe in the late 20th century due to Dutch elm disease killing many European elms.[22]
Starting in 1999, A. melanocephalus has infested buildings in northern Italian cities, particularly in the regions of Emilia Romagna, Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.[17] These infestations occur in the summer, starting in late May or early June and ending in late September.[17] Some Italian researchers believe this might be due to global warming, and that the insects enter buildings to escape the summer heat.[17] The population increased in Turin in 2007, despite an increase in chemical insecticides; etofenprox is effective against this species but pyrethrum and rotenone were not.[23] Mass occurrences also increased in Germany in the early 21st century.[24]
In Asia, it has been found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, China,[4] and Iran.[25] They have been recorded inside buildings in Yining, Xinjiang, China.[4]
In North America, A. melanocephalus have been found in the Canadian province of British Columbia,[26] and the American states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho,[19] Michigan,[27] Utah,[28] and Colorado.[29] It was introduced to the Nearctic realm in the 2000s.[19]
Related Research Articles
The Lygaeoidea are a sizeable superfamily of true bugs, containing seed bugs and allies, in the order Hemiptera. There are about 16 families and more than 4,600 described species in Lygaeoidea, found worldwide. Most feed on seeds or sap, but a few are predators.
The Lygaeidae are a family in the Hemiptera, with more than 110 genera in four subfamilies. The family is commonly referred to as seed bugs, and less commonly, milkweed bugs, or ground bugs. However, while many of the species feed on seeds, some feed on sap (mucivory) or seed pods, others are omnivores and a few, such as the wekiu bug, are carnivores that feed exclusively on insects. Insects in this family are distributed across the world. The family was vastly larger, but numerous former subfamilies have been removed and given independent family status, including the Artheneidae, Blissidae, Cryptorhamphidae, Cymidae, Geocoridae, Heterogastridae, Ninidae, Oxycarenidae and Rhyparochromidae, which together constituted well over half of the former family.
Lygaeus equestris, common name black-and-red-bug, is a species of ground bugs belonging to the family Lygaeidae, subfamily Lygaeinae.
The Blissidae are a family in the Hemiptera, comprising nearly 50 genera and 400 species. The group has often been treated as a subfamily of the Lygaeidae but was resurrected as a full family by Thomas Henry (1997).
Graptostethus is a genus in the insect family Lygaeidae. Although originally restricted to the Old World some species like G. servus have spread to parts of the New World.
Lygaeinae is a subfamily of ground bugs in the insect family Lygaeidae.
Arocatus is a genus of bugs in the family Lygaeidae.
Oxycarenidae is a family of true bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are more than 20 genera and 140 described species in Oxycarenidae.
Cymidae is a family of true bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are about 12 genera and at least 60 described species in Cymidae.
Artheneidae is a family of true bugs in the order Hemiptera. It was formerly included in Lygaeidae. There are about 7 genera and at least 20 described species in Artheneidae.
Pachygronthidae is a family of true bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are about 14 genera and more than 80 described species in Pachygronthidae.
Melanopleurus is a genus of seed bugs in the family Lygaeidae. There are more than 20 described species in the genus Melanopleurus.
Lygaeus reclivatus is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Lygaeus kalmii, known as the small milkweed bug or common milkweed bug, is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is found in Central and North America.
Lygaeus turcicus, the false milkweed bug, is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is found in Eastern North America.
Malcidae is a family of true bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are at least 4 genera and more than 40 described species in Malcidae.
Ischnorhynchinae is a subfamily of seed bugs in the family Lygaeidae. There are about 16 genera and more than 70 described species in Ischnorhynchinae. The members of this subfamily are small, terrestrial insects that typically translucent or transparent plate-like structures covering the thorax (pronota) and tend to live in plant flowers.
Lygaeus creticus is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is found in areas around the Mediterranean Sea.
Arocatus longiceps, the plane tree bug, is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae, found mainly in Europe.
References
↑ Guérin, Joseph; Péneau, Joseph (1905). "4e Famille Lygæides". Hétéroptères. Faune entomologique armoricaine: Hémiptères. Vol.1. p.19.
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