Musgraveia sulciventris

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Musgraveia sulciventris
Musgraveia sulciventris (14337826319).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Tessaratomidae
Genus: Musgraveia
Species:
M. sulciventris
Binomial name
Musgraveia sulciventris
Stål, 1863
Synonyms

Oncoscelis sulciventris

Musgraveia sulciventris is a large stink bug found in Australia, sometimes known as the bronze orange bug. It is considered a pest, particularly to plants in the citrus group. [1] Bronze orange bugs suck the sap from trees, which causes the flowers and fruit to fall. [2] [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

In 1863, Swedish entomologist Carl Stål described the species as Oncoscelis sulciventris from a collection near Moreton Bay in Queensland. [4] [5] In 1957, English entomologists Dennis Leston and G.G.E. Scudder reclassified the bronze orange bug as Musgraveia sulciventris, due to reorganization of Oncoscelis and related genera. [6] It is the type species of the genus Musgraveia and in the Tessaratomidae family. [7] [8]

Description and life cycle

Bronze orange bugs are first found on trees in late winter. Mating takes place between late November through early March. Each mating pair takes 3 to 5 days to produce 10 to 14 eggs. [9] The female lays up to four clutches of eggs and deposits them on the undersurface of a leaf. The bright green spherical eggs are around 2.5 mm (0.1 in) in diameter. [10] The incubation period varies based on current weather conditions. Hatching averages around 7.4 days at 25 °C and 6 percent humidity. [11] As a light green nymph, they are difficult to spot and often mistaken for different species. [1] [12] The bronze orange bug has five stages of development known as instars. The first instars remain huddled near the eggs. They are transparent pale green with orange eyes. [11] The second instars are more buff or pale yellow. [13] Adults grow to be approximately 25 mm (nearly 1 in) long, and go from orange to their more familiar bronze color as they develop. [10]

Life cycle of Musgraveia sulciventris
Bronze Orange Bug eggs.jpg
Newly hatched Musgraveia sulciventris (bronze orange bugs).jpg
Fourth or fifth instar of Bronze Citrus Bug, Musgraveia sulciventris on Orange.jpg
Bronze Orange Bug, Musgraveia sulciventris.jpg
Left: A cluster of bronze orange bug eggs. The embryos can be seen through the clear egg membranes, as well as the small ring of micropylar processes on each egg. The second egg from the bottom right is unfertilized and remains a murky green; Center left: Nymphs emerging from the eggs. Early instars of bronze orange bugs are bright green in color; Center right: A fourth or fifth instar nymph resting on a citrus leaf. It is now brilliantly orange in color with black margins and a small black dot at the center of its body; Right: An adult bronze orange bug on the underside of a citrus leaf. The adults are much drabber in color than the nymphs. Below it is also a green third instar nymph.

Distribution and habitat

Musgraveia sulciventris is found in Queensland and New South Wales in Eastern Australia, as far south as Wollongong. [7] Its range of location has spread significantly since European colonization. [14]

Ecology

Its native host plants include the desert lime ( Citrus glauca ), the Australian finger lime ( Citrus australasica ), [11] and Correas. [15] It has become a major pest of cultivated citrus crops, where it sucks the fluid from new growth and young fruit, causing them to turn yellow and drop off. [12] Whole crops can be devastated. [16]

The common name of stinkbug refers to a malodorous liquid that the insect sprays when threatened. It is composed of alkanes, cimicine and aldehydes from glands in the thorax. These compounds primarily serve as protection against fellow arthropods, to which they are lethal. However, the defensive chemicals of M. sulciventris are known for being among the most debilitating to vertebrates, which is likely a defense specifically aimed against birds. [17] They can cause damage to human skin and even cause temporary blindness if sprayed into the eyes. [18] [19] [20] The bronze orange bug can spray the liquid at a target up to 0.6 m (2 ft) away. [16]

Insects that prey on the bronze orange bug include the common assassin bug ( Pristhesancus plagipennis ), the predatory Asopinae bug species Amyotea hamatus , and the parasitoid wasps Eupelmus poggioni and Telenomus spp. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemiptera</span> Order of insects often called true bugs

Hemiptera is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from 1 mm (0.04 in) to around 15 cm (6 in), and share a common arrangement of piercing-sucking mouthparts. The name "true bugs" is often limited to the suborder Heteroptera.

<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">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.

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

The green stink bug or green soldier bug is a stink bug of the family Pentatomidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown marmorated stink bug</span> Species of Pentatomid insect

The brown marmorated stink bug is an insect in the family Pentatomidae, native to China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian regions. In September 1998, it was collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where it is believed to have been accidentally introduced. The nymphs and adults of the brown marmorated stink bug feed on over 100 species of plants, including many agricultural crops, and by 2010–11 had become a season-long pest in orchards in the Eastern United States. In 2010, in the Mid-Atlantic United States, $37 million in apple crops were lost, and some stone fruit growers lost more than 90% of their crops. Since the 2010s, the bug has spread to countries such as Georgia and Turkey and caused extensive damage to hazelnut production. It is now established in many parts of North America, and has recently become established in Europe and South America.

<i>Bagrada hilaris</i> Species of true bug

Bagrada hilaris is a species of shield bug known by the common names bagrada bug and painted bug. It could be mistaken for or erroneously referred to as harlequin bug. It is native to southeastern Africa. It is known elsewhere as an introduced species, including California and Arizona, where it was first reported in 2008. It is a major pest insect of Brassica oleracea crops, and related crucifers such as turnips, rape, and mustard. The adult and nymph of the species suck sap from the leaves of the plants, causing wilting, yellowing, and stunting of growth. Besides crucifers, the bugs are known on papaya, sorghum, maize, potato, cotton, caper, pearl millet, and some legumes. Large numbers of the bug congregate on the plants and cause extensive damage.

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

Tessaratomidae is a family of true bugs. It contains about 240 species of large bugs divided into 3 subfamilies and 56 genera.

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

Urostylididae is a family of true bugs and is considered a basal or "primitive" family within the stink-bug lineage. They are found only in Asia. Older works used the spelling Urostylidae but this clashes with the name used for a protozoan family and a spelling correction (emendation) has been suggested that also avoids the confusion created by homonyms. The family name Urolabididae has also been used for some members in the past.

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


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.

<i>Dysdercus koenigii</i> Species of true bug

Dysdercus koenigii is a species of true bug in the family Pyrrhocoridae, commonly known as the red cotton stainer. It is a serious pest of cotton crops, the adults and older nymphs feeding on the emerging bolls and the cotton seeds as they mature, transmitting cotton staining fungi as they do so.

<i>Mormidea lugens</i> Species of true bug

Mormidea lugens is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae found in the Caribbean, Central America, and Eastern North America. In Illinois, adults have been observed emerging from overwintering sites in late April, and continue to be observed until early November, and appear to be bivoltine in this area. Eggs are approximately 0.7 millimetres (0.028 in) in diameter, pale yellow, and laid in small clusters of 6 to 11 eggs. Adults are bronze in color, with a white-yellow border around the scutellum, and are 5.0–7.2 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in) in length. In laboratory conditions, at approximately 24 °C (75 °F), development from eggs to adults has been documented to take between 39 and 50 days, and appears to be affected by the species of host plant. Mormidea lugens has been documented to feed on timothy, sedges, as well as deer-tongue grass, and Bosc's panic-grass. It has been collected from pale sedge and wide-leaved spiderwort but has not observed feeding on these species, and deer-tongue grass appears to be an insufficient food source for development.

<i>Aspidiotus destructor</i> Species of true bug

Aspidiotus destructor, the coconut scale, is a species of armoured scale insect in the family Diaspididae, found in many tropical and subtropical parts of the world. It is a serious pest of coconut and banana, and attacks a range of other fruiting trees and ornamental plants.

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

Mormidea is a genus of stink bugs in the family Pentatomidae. There are about five described species in Mormidea.

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

Chlorocoris is a genus of stink bugs in the family Pentatomidae. There are about six described species in Chlorocoris.

<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>Pristhesancus plagipennis</i> Species of insect

Pristhesancus plagipennis is an Australian insect in the assassin bug genus Pristhesancus. Amongst its prey is the bronze orange bug, a common garden pest. It is sometimes called the bee-killer assassin bug, as it is also known to prey on honey bees. The juveniles have a distinctive bright orange abdomen.

<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.

<i>Lyramorpha</i> Genus of insects

Lyramorpha is a genus of stink bugs in the family Tessaratomidae, subfamily Oncomerinae. It is known from Australia and New Guinea.

<i>Lyramorpha rosea</i> Species of stink bug

Lyramorpha rosea, commonly known as the lychee stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Tessaratomidae. It is found in eastern Australia.

References

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  5. Stål, Carl (1863). "Hemipterorum exoticorum generum et specierum nonnullarum novarum descriptiones". Transactions of the Entomological Society of London. 3 (1): 571–603 [598].
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