| Lygaeus equestris | |
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| Adult of Lygaeus equestris | |
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| Side view | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Family: | Lygaeidae |
| Genus: | Lygaeus |
| Species: | L. equestris |
| Binomial name | |
| Lygaeus equestris (1758) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Lygaeus equestris, common name black-and-red-bug, is a species of ground bugs belonging to the family Lygaeidae, subfamily Lygaeinae.
Subspecies include: [1]
These bugs can reach about 11 to 12 millimetres (0.43 to 0.47 in) in length. They have a characteristic red-black pattern, fully developed wings and long, powerful legs. The hemelytra have two transverse bands that reach the margin and a round white spot on the membrane. Scutellum is without bristles but with tiny hairs. The black band close to the eye is wider than the same.
This species is very difficult to differentiate from Lygaeus simulans , that has a scutellum with long bristles, antennae with angulous tubercles and a larger red area on the head.
The red-black pattern has a deterrent effect and serves to protect the insect (Müllerian mimicry or Batesian mimicry). By storing the toxic ingredients of their food plants, they are unpalatable to potential predators.
The nymphs and the imagos feed on juices of various plants, particularly milkweed ( Vincetoxicum hirundinaria ), [2] Taraxacum species, [3] Spring pheasant's eye (Adonis vernalis) and sometimes also on dandelions. [4] Adults overwinter. [2]
It is mainly present in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. [5] It inhabits lawns, forests clearings and scrubs, generally in warm calcareous areas. [2]
The boxelder bug, also called box bug, maple bug or, inaccurately, box beetle, is a species of true bug native to eastern North America. The western boxelder bug Boisea rubrolineata is a relative of this species and is native to western North America. Boxelder bugs are found primarily on boxelder trees, as well as on maple and ash trees.
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.
Geocoris is a genus of insects in the family Geocoridae. Commonly known as big-eyed bugs, the species in Geocoris are beneficial predators, but are often confused with the true chinch bug, which is a pest. There are more than 140 described species in Geocoris.
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.
Arocatus roeselii is a species of lygaeid bug.
Nezara viridula, commonly known as the southern green stink bug (USA), southern green shield bug (UK) or green vegetable bug, is a plant-feeding stink bug. Believed to have originated in Ethiopia, it can now be found across the world. Because of its preference for certain species of legumes, such as beans and soybeans, it is an economically important pest on such crops.
Oxycarenus lavaterae, common name lime seed bug, is a species of ground bug of the family Lygaeidae, subfamily Oxycareninae.
Spilostethus pandurus is a species of "seed bugs" belonging to the family Lygaeidae, subfamily Lygaeinae.
Tropidothorax leucopterus is a species of ground bugs belonging to the family Lygaeidae, subfamily Lygaeinae.
Campyloneura virgula is a species of bugs in Miridae family. It is the only species in the genus CampyloneuraFieber, 1861.
Oedancala dorsalis is an insect, found in the superfamily Lygaeoidea which is one of the largest varied family of Heteroptera of Hemiptera. Seed bugs are a very diverse family of seed feeders found on various types of vegetation. There are four Nearctic species in this genus. O. bimaculate and O. cubana are neotropical species that barely make it into the United States.
Caenocoris nerii, common name oleander seedbug, is a species of ground bugs in the insect family Lygaeidae.
Lygaeus is a genus of seed bugs in the family Lygaeidae. There are more than 60 described species in Lygaeus.
Spilostethus rivularis, the rivulet milkweed bug, is a species of bug belonging to the family Lygaeidae sensu stricto, and subfamily Lygaeinae. It is widely distributed in Africa, where it is found commonly in grassland, savannah grassland or croplands.
Arocatus melanocephalus, the elm seed bug, is a true bug in the family Lygaeidae. The species was initially described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1798, and Maximilian Spinola designated it to be the type species of the genus Arocatus in 1837. This bug is native to Europe but has been introduced to 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.
Melanocoryphus albomaculatus is a species of insect in the sub-order of true bugs, Heteroptera.
Lygaeus creticus is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is found in areas around the Mediterranean Sea.
Lygaeus simulans is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae, found in the Palearctic.
Vol. 58, No. 2 (Jun., 1990), pp. 210–218
| Authority control databases: National |
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