| Lyctocoridae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lyctocoris dimidiatus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Superfamily: | Cimicoidea |
| Family: | Lyctocoridae Reuter, 1884 |
Lyctocoridae is a reconstituted family of bugs, formerly classified within the minute pirate bugs of the family Anthocoridae. [1] It is widely distributed, with one species ( Lyctocoris campestris ), being cosmopolitan. [2] [3]
Lyctocoridae range in length from 2 mm to 6 mm. They have tarsi 3-segmented, forewing with a costal fracture and with weakly developed veins in the membrane, laterotergites on all abdominal terga, and male genitalia strongly asymmetrical (left paramere larger than the right). [2]
Overall they resemble the related family Anthocoridae, but can be distinguished by:
Lyctocoridae are mostly predators of small, soft-bodied arthropods, though L. campestris occasionally feeds on mammal (including human) blood [2] [3] and L. ichikawai is only known to feed on sap of sawtooth oak ( Quercus acutissima ). [5] Adults and nymphs have similar diets. [4]
This family of bugs occurs under tree bark and in decaying plant matter, animal nests and burrows, manure piles, poultry houses, granaries and stored food products. [2] [3]
Lyctocoridae practice traumatic insemination in which the male pierces the female (using the acus of his phallus) between terga 7 and 8 on the right side of her abdomen. The male's sperm migrate through the haemocoel or through specialized structures in the female to the ovaries, then fertilise the eggs within the vitellarium. [3]
Some species of Lyctocoridae are biological control agents that feed on pest insects. Lyctocoris attack beetle and moth pests in stored food products, and also attack bark beetle pests. [3]
Recent phylogenetic work supports the treatment of Lyctocoridae as a family separate from Anthocoridae, [1] but more recent molecular phylogenies indicate that many lineages considered at one point to be constituents are still better placed in Anthocoridae (e.g, Dufouriellini; [6] ), leaving only a few genera in Lyctocoridae.
BioLib lists a single subfamily Lyctocorinae Reuter, 1884:
The following are placed in the Anthocorinae tribes Anthocorini, Dufouriellini, and Scolopini:
The Miridae are a large and diverse insect family at one time known by the taxonomic synonym Capsidae. Species in the family may be referred to as capsid bugs or "mirid bugs". Common names include plant bugs, leaf bugs, and grass bugs. It is the largest family of true bugs belonging to the suborder Heteroptera; it includes over 10,000 known species, and new ones are being described constantly. Most widely known mirids are species that are notorious agricultural pests that pierce plant tissues, feed on the sap, and sometimes transmit viral plant diseases. Some species however, are predatory.
The Cimicomorpha are an infraorder of insects in the order Hemiptera, the true bugs. The rostrum and other morphology of all members apparently is adapted to feeding on animals as their prey or hosts. Members include bed bugs, bat bugs, assassin bugs, and pirate bugs.
Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Macrotylus is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are at least 60 described species in Macrotylus.
Tytthus is a genus of insects in family Miridae, the plant bugs. They are carnivorous, feeding upon the eggs of various planthoppers in the family Delphacidae, and thus are important in the biological control of pests. The genus is distributed throughout the Holarctic of the Northern Hemisphere, but species are also found in the tropics, in China, South America, Australia, and the Indo-Pacific.
Orthops is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are at least 30 described species in Orthops.
Tetraphleps latipennis is a species of minute pirate bug in the family Anthocoridae. It is found in North America.
Tetraphleps is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are about 10 described species in Tetraphleps.
Anthocorini is a tribe of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are more than 30 described species in Anthocorini.
Halticini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae.
Scoloposcelis is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are about seven described species in Scoloposcelis.
Scolopini is a tribe of bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are at least 4 genera and about 10 described species in Scolopini.
Acompocoris is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are at least four described species in Acompocoris.
Lyctocoris is a genus of true bugs in the family Lyctocoridae. There are about 15 described species in Lyctocoris.
Dufouriellini is a tribe of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are about 7 genera and 15 described species in Dufouriellini.
Elatophilus is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are about 15 described species in Elatophilus.
Coccivora is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There is one described species in Coccivora, C. californica.
Melanocoris is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are at least four described species in Melanocoris.
Dufouriellus is a monotypic genus of minute pirate bugs in the tribe Dufouriellini.ref>Zhang D, Xu L, Wang S, Liang J, Li M, Zhang H. The first complete mitochondrial genome of Dufouriellini and implications for its phylogenetic position. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2022 Sep;111(1):e21885. doi: 10.1002/arch.21885. Epub 2022 Mar 20. PMID: 35312097.</ref> The described species is Dufouriellus ater, which has been recorded from much of western Europe through to Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, southern Scandinavia and including the British Isles.
Lasiochilinae is a subfamily of bugs, in the family Anthocoridae; some authorities place this at family level: "Lasiochilidae". It is most diverse in tropical areas, especially in the New World.
Media related to Lyctocoridae at Wikimedia Commons