Nezara viridula

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Nezara viridula
Nezara viridula MHNT verte.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Pentatomidae
Genus: Nezara
Species:
N. viridula
Binomial name
Nezara viridula
Synonyms
  • Cimex smaragdulus Fabricius, 1775
  • Cimex viridulus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Nezara approximata Reiche & Fairmaire, 1848
  • Nezara aurantiaca Costa, 1884

Nezara viridula, commonly known as the southern green stink bug (USA), southern green shield bug (UK) or green vegetable bug (Australia and New Zealand), is a plant-feeding stink bug. Believed to have originated in Ethiopia, it can now be found across the world. [1] Because of its preference for certain species of legumes, such as beans and soybeans, it is an economically important pest on such crops. [2]

Contents

Distribution

Nezara viridula is a cosmopolitan species, living in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australasia, and Europe between 45 degrees north and 45 degrees south. [3] Its exact origin is unknown, but it is believed to have originated from the Ethiopia region of East Africa, from where it has spread around the world due to its strong flight and human transport along trade routes. [3]

Description

Nezara viridula illustrated by Des Helmore HEMI Pentatomidae Nezara viridula 1.png
Nezara viridula illustrated by Des Helmore

The adult males can reach a body length (from front to elytral apex) of about 12.1 millimetres (0.48 in), while females are bigger, reaching a size of about 13.1 millimetres (0.52 in). The body is usually bright green and shield-shaped and the eyes are usually reddish, but they may also be black. There is a row of three white spots on the scutellum. They differ from the similar green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris) by the shape of their scent gland openings, which are short and wide in N. viridula, and narrow and long in the green stink bug. [1]

Color morphs

Several distinct morphs can be distinguished by the pattern of their exoskeleton coloration. The most common morph is predominantly green (Nezara viridula f. smaragdula), a less common morph is green with white or yellowish front margins on the head and the thorax (Nezara viridula f. torquata Fabricius, 1775) [4] and a very rare morph has a uniformly orange or yellow (occasionally pink) coloration (Nezara viridulaf. aurantiaca). [5]

Pentatomidae - Nezara viridula f. smaragdula.JPG
Nezara viridula f. smaragdula
Pentatomidae - Nezara viridula f. torquata. torquata.JPG
Nezara viridula f. torquata
Nezara viridula golden.jpg
Nezara viridula f. aurantiaca

Life history

Nezara viridula reproduces throughout the year in the tropics. In temperate zones this species exhibits a reproductive winter diapause associated with a reversible change of body colouration from green to brown or russet. [6]

When ready to mate N. viridula produce 100 Hz vibrations with a "tymbal" composed of fused first and second terga (not to be confused with tymbal of cicadas) that allow bi-directional communication to any Nezara standing on the same plant so they could find each other. The female lays 30 to 130 eggs at a time, in the form of an egg mass glued firmly to the bottom of a leaf. The eggs are barrel-shaped with an opening on the top. [1] The eggs take between 5 and 21 days to develop, depending on the temperature. [3] The newborn nymphs gather near the empty eggs and do not feed until three days later, after the first moult. They moult five times before reaching maturity, increasing in size each time. Each instar stage lasts about a week, except for the last one which is a day longer. [1] Up to four generations can develop in one year, with eggs developing into adults in as few as 35 days in mid-summer. Up until their third moult the nymphs aggregate together on the host plant; the purpose of this aggregation is probably pooling of chemical defenses against predators such as ants. [3]

Ecology

It is a highly polyphagous herbivore, able to feed on plants from over 30 families, both monocots and dicots. [3] It has a preference for legumes, especially plants that are fruiting or forming pods. [3]

The most important factor limiting the population in temperate zones is winter cold. Mortality of overwintering individuals is between 30 and 80%, and the population cannot survive in areas where the average mid-winter temperature is below 5 °C. [7] Females are more likely to survive the winter than males, as are larger individuals and those that develop reddish-brown coloration. [3] In recent decades, the species seems to be expanding its range towards the north in the northern hemisphere. [7] The animal's ability to survive the winter also depends on the timely onset of diapause.

Environmental Sensitivity

Temperature

Temperature affects survival in N. viridula and other Pentatomidae species (e.g. P. prasina ). [8] Survival is highest at intermediate temperatures around 30°C and 35°C, and decreases as temperatures increase past the optimum. However, individuals reared under hot temperatures can acclimate such that survival increases at hotter temperatures. [9] Stink bugs can also acclimate to cold temperatures through rapid cold hardening, which reduces mortality when they are stressed by cold temperatures later on. [10]

Seasonal changes in temperature provide important cues to N. viridula that affect growth, reproduction, and fitness. Warmer temperatures in early spring can increase egg production and accelerate development. Warmer temperatures in the late summer can often be stressful, potentially stunting growth and decrease survival. Finally, warmer winter temperatures can increase survival. In the winter, there are differences in survivorship depending on size in N. viridula, where larger females tend to have higher survival rates. [11] Temperature, in combination with other abiotic factors, can therefore have substantial influence on stink bugs across their lifetime. [12]

Other environmental effects

Short photoperiods during the nymphal stage can increase development when coupled with cooler temperatures, but decrease developmental time when coupled with hot temperatures. [12] [13] Humidity can also affect fitness in N. viridula. In low humidity conditions, eggs require more time to hatch. [8] In high humidity conditions, particularly when coupled with high temperatures, survival and longevity decrease.

See also

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">Scutelleridae</span> Family of insects

Scutelleridae is a family of true bugs. They are commonly known as jewel (stink) 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 shield bug</span> Species of true bug

The green shield bug is a Palearctic shield bug species in the family Pentatomidae. The name might equally apply to several other species in the tribe Nezarini, or if referred-to as a "green stink bug", it might more appropriately belong to the larger North American bug, Chinavia hilaris. The adult green shield bug ranges in the colour of their backs from bright green to bronze, without any substantial markings. Green shield bugs are a very common shield bug throughout Europe, including the British Isles, and are found in a large variety of habitats, including gardens. They have been found as far north as 63° N latitude.

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

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<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>Picromerus bidens</i> Species of insect

Picromerus bidens, the spiny shieldbug or spiked shieldbug, is a carnivorous species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae.

<i>Gargaphia solani</i> Species of true bug

Gargaphia solani is a subsocial species of lace bug commonly known as the eggplant lace bug. The species was described by Heidemann in 1914 after it aroused attention a year earlier in the United States as an eggplant pest around Norfolk, Virginia. Fink found that the species became an agricultural pest when eggplant is planted on a large scale.

<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.

<i>Cosmopepla lintneriana</i> Species of true bug

Cosmopepla lintneriana, the twice-stabbed stink bug, is a species of insect in the family Pentatomidae. Cosmopepla lintneriana was first described in 1798 by Johan Christian Fabricius as Cimex carnifex, and then again in 1865 by Thomas Say as Cosmopepla bimaculata. Cosmopepla lintneriana is hosted by a variety of plants, including milk thistle, echinacea, asparagus, oats, mint and goldenrod, and is widespread throughout North America, from Canada to Mexico. Adult C. lintneriana are black with a red, orange, or yellow band across the pronotum and a short red stripe along the midline, and two red spots at the apex of the scutellum. Nymph coloration ranges from red to white with black markings that change as they grow.

<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>Euthyrhynchus floridanus</i> Species of true bug

Euthyrhynchus floridanus, the Florida predatory stink bug, is a species of carnivorous shield bug in the family Pentatomidae, the only species in the genus Euthyrhynchus. It is native to the hottest parts of the southeastern United States and is considered beneficial because its diet includes many species of pest insects.

<i>Proxys punctulatus</i> Species of true bug

Proxys punctulatus, the black stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, and North America.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant mesquite bug</span> Species of insect

The giant mesquite bug is an insect of the order Hemiptera, or the "true bugs". As a member of the family Coreidae, it is a leaf-footed bug. As the common name implies, it is a large bug that feeds on mesquite trees of the American Southwest and Northwestern Mexico.

<i>Trissolcus basalis</i> Species of wasp

Trissolcus basalis, or the green vegetable bug egg parasitoid, is a parasitoid wasp in the family Platygastridae known primarily for parasitising the horticultural pest Nezara viridula, the green vegetable bug.

<i>Trissolcus oenone</i> Species of wasp

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<i>Dictyotus caenosus</i> Species of true bug

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<i>Orius minutus</i> Species of minute pirate bug

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Squitier J.M. (1997, updated 2007) «Southern green stink bug» Featured creatures, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural services.
  2. ↑ Panizzi A.R. et al. (2000). Stink bugs (Pentatomidae). In: Schaefer C.W. & Panizzi A.R. (eds.). Heteroptera of economic importance, str. 421-747. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Todd J.W. (1989). «Ecology and behavior of Nezara viridula». Annu. Rev. Entomol.34: 273-292. doi : 10.1146/annurev.en.34.010189.001421
  4. ↑ Zicha, Ondrej. "BioLib: Biological library". www.biolib.cz. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  5. ↑ Mary Golden and Peter A. Follett First report of Nezara viridula f. aurantiaca in Hawai
  6. ↑ Musolin, Dmitry (2012). Surviving winter: diapause syndrome in the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula Physiological Entomology - Volume 37, Issue 4, pages 309–322
  7. 1 2 Musolin D.L. (2005). «The Southern Green Shield Bug Nezara viridula (L.) expands its distribution range, not only in the U.K.» Het News - Newsletter of the Heteroptera Recording Schemes. Retrieved on 2008-10-14.
  8. 1 2 Chanthy, Pol; Martin, Robert J.; Gunning, Robin V.; Andrew, Nigel (2015). "Influence of temperature and humidity regimes on the developmental stages of green vegetable bug,'Nezara viridula'(l.)(Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from inland and coastal populations in Australia". General and Applied Entomology: The Journal of the Entomological Society of New South Wales. 43: 37–55.
  9. ↑ Chanthy, Pol; Martin, Robert J.; Gunning, Robin V.; Andrew, Nigel (2012-12-12). "The effects of thermal acclimation on lethal temperatures and critical thermal limits in the green vegetable bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)". Frontiers in Physiology. 3: 465. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2012.00465 . ISSN   1664-042X. PMC   3520015 . PMID   23248601.
  10. ↑ Muluvhahothe, Mulalo M.; Joubert, Elsje; Foord, Stefan H. (2023-01-01). "Thermal tolerance responses of the two-spotted stink bug, Bathycoelia distincta (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), vary with life stage and the sex of adults". Journal of Thermal Biology. 111: 103395. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103395. ISSN   0306-4565. PMID   36585076.
  11. ↑ Musolin, Dmitry L.; Tougou, Daisuke; Fujisaki, Kenji (2010). "Too hot to handle? Phenological and life-history responses to simulated climate change of the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)". Global Change Biology. 16 (1): 73–87. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01914.x. ISSN   1365-2486.
  12. 1 2 Lopatina, E. B.; Gusev, I. A. (2019-07-01). "A Novel Form of Phenotypic Plasticity of the Thermal Reaction Norms for Development in the Bug Graphosoma lineatum (L.) (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae)". Entomological Review. 99 (4): 417–436. doi:10.1134/S0013873819040018. ISSN   1555-6689.
  13. ↑ Gusev, I. A.; Lopatina, E. B. (2018-11-01). "Temperature and Photoperiodic Control of Development in the Green Shield Bug Palomena prasina (L.) (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae) in Leningrad Province". Entomological Review. 98 (8): 939–955. doi:10.1134/S0013873818080018. ISSN   1555-6689.
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