Phymatinae

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Phymatinae
Ambushiki.JPG
Phymata sp.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Reduviidae
Subfamily: Phymatinae
Laporte, 1832
Tribes
Ambush bug (Phymata sp.) Ambush Bug Phymata sp..jpg
Ambush bug (Phymata sp.)

Insects in the subfamily Phymatinae are commonly called ambush bugs after their habit of lying in wait for prey, relying on their superb camouflage. Armed with raptorial forelegs, ambush bugs routinely capture prey ten or more times their own size. They form a subgroup within the assassin bugs.

Description

Phymata pennsylvanica IC Phymata pennsylvanica.JPG
Phymata pennsylvanica
Phymata sp. eggs Phymata eggs.jpg
Phymata sp. eggs
Ambush bug nymph Ambush bug nymph.jpg
Ambush bug nymph

Phymatinae are 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long. The most distinguishable trait of this group is the presence of pronounced raptorial forelegs. [1] In Phymata , the scutellum is triangular and shorter than the pronotum. In Macrocephalus , the scutellum is narrow and rounded, extending to the tip of the abdomen. [2]

Phymatinae normally have a large fore femur and clubbed antennae. The forewing membranes sometimes lack distinct cells. [3]

The antennae have four segments. There are two ocelli. The beak has three segments. The tarsi also have three segments. The rear half of the abdomen expands beyond the edges of the wings. [4]

Compared to classic assassin bugs, ambush bugs are shorter, stouter, more colorful, and have larger heads in proportion to their bodies. [5] It is hypothesized that the coloration of these insects is an adaptation to allow them to camouflage within their environment, specifically an evolutionary effort to blend in with the flowers of their host plant. [1]

Ambush bugs can be found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions all over the world, excluding Australia and New Zealand. [1]

Etymology

The name Phymatinae is derived from the Greek phymata, meaning "swollen", which presumably refers to the enlarged abdomen and femora. [6]

Taxonomy

Ambush bugs are insects in the order Hemiptera, or "true bugs". They occupy the family Reduviidae, and form the subfamily Phymatinae. This subfamily was often given family-level status and this classification is still used in some textbooks. Based on cladistic analyses, however, ambush bugs (Phymatinae) are a type of assassin bug (Reduviidae). [7] [8] Approximately 300 species have been documented, and they are a sister group of the Holoptilinae. [9] [1] The genera of ambush bugs are separated into four tribes, but this separation is based purely on phenotypic similarities rather than molecular data. The exact relationships between different groups of Phymatinae are understudied, and there are likely species yet to be discovered. [10]

The Phymatinae are currently separated into the following genera: [11] [12]

Amblythyreus cf. intermedius from India Phymatinae Blr.jpg
Amblythyreus cf. intermedius from India

Behavior

Ambush bugs occupy a similar niche to that of the crab spider, camouflaged with their host plant and lying in wait for pollinators and other invertebrate prey to come within range. These hemipterans often attack prey many times larger than themselves, which they subdue with an immobilizing venom. [13]

Adult Phymata sp. attempting its lie in wait technique to ambush a syrphid fly (Orthonevra nitida) and a Halictus bee
Adult Phymata sp. catches a Halictus bee.
Adult Phymata sp. catches a much larger honey bee.
Ambush bugs attempting mating

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reduviidae</span> Family of insects

The Reduviidae is a large cosmopolitan family of the suborder Heteroptera of the order Hemiptera. Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush predators; most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic. The main examples of non-predatory Reduviidae are some blood-sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae, with a few species from South America noted for their ability to transmit Chagas disease. Though spectacular exceptions are known, most members of the family are fairly easily recognizable; they have a relatively narrow neck, sturdy build, and a formidable curved proboscis. Large specimens should be handled with caution, if at all, because they sometimes defend themselves with a very painful stab from the proboscis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triatominae</span> Subfamily of true bugs

The members of the Triatominae, a subfamily of the Reduviidae, are also known as conenose bugs, kissing bugs, or vampire bugs. Other local names for them used in the Americas include barbeiros, vinchucas, pitos, chipos and chinches. Most of the 130 or more species of this subfamily feed on vertebrate blood; a very small portion of species feed on invertebrates. They are mainly found and widespread in the Americas, with a few species present in Asia and Africa. These bugs usually share shelter with nesting vertebrates, from which they suck blood. In areas where Chagas disease occurs, all triatomine species are potential vectors of the Chagas disease parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, but only those species that are well adapted to living with humans are considered important vectors. Also, proteins released from their bites have been known to induce anaphylaxis in sensitive and sensitized individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emesinae</span> Subfamily of true bugs

The Emesinae, or thread-legged bugs, are a subfamily of the Reduviidae. They are conspicuously different from the other reduviids by their very slender body form. They are stalking, predatory insects that can be collected on palm fronds, cliffs, spider webbing, or near lights at night. They walk on their mid and hind legs; the front pair is raptorial. Some groups specialize on spiders. Very little is known about emesines except that many species are found in the tropics. Pedro Wygodzinsky wrote the most recent revision of this group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raptorial</span> Arthropod leg capable of grasping prey

In biology, the term raptorial implies much the same as predatory but most often refers to modifications of an arthropod's foreleg that make it function for the grasping of prey while it is consumed, where the gripping surfaces are formed from the opposing faces of two successive leg segments.

<i>Zelus</i> (bug) Genus of insects

Zelus is a genus of insects in the family Reduviidae, the assassin bugs. There are currently 60 described species; most occur in Central and South America, and five are found in North America.

The Metapterini are a tribe of thread-legged bugs, assassin bugs of subfamily Emesinae.

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

Emesopsis is a genus of tropical bugs (Heteroptera) from the family Reduviidae. There are at least 22 described species, of which one, E. nubila, also occurs in southern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holoptilinae</span> Subfamily of true bugs

The Holoptilinae are a subfamily of Reduviidae known as feather-legged bugs or ant wolves. Several members of the subfamily specialize on ants. About 16 genera are known, with about 80 species described. Species in the Holoptilini tribe possess a specialized organ called a trichome to attract ants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ectrichodiinae</span> Subfamily of true bugs

The Ectrichodiinae are a subfamily of assassin bugs (Reduviidae) known for specializing on millipedes as prey. The group comprises more than 600 species in about 115 genera, making it a fairly large subfamily. The bugs are also known for their aposematic coloration, often brightly colored metallic blue, red, or yellow.

Austrokatanga monteithi is a species of assassin bug, the sole member of its genus, in the subfamily Ectrichodiinae of Reduviidae. This species is found in Australia.

<i>Zelus renardii</i> Species of true bug

Zelus renardii, commonly known as the leaf hopper assassin bug, is a predacious insect contained within tribe Harpactorini. Diurnal and found on both wild and crop plants, Z. renardii has spread from its native habitats in western North and Central America into three other biogeographic regions across the globe.

Durevius is a small genus of assassin bugs restricted to the island of Madagascar. Five species are known.

<i>Phymata crassipes</i> Species of true bug

Phymata crassipes is a species of assassin and thread-legged bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae, subfamily Phymatinae.

Macrocephalus is a genus of ambush bugs in the family Reduviidae. There are more than 30 described species in Macrocephalus.

Microtominae is a subfamily of assassin bugs in the family Reduviidae. There are at least 2 genera and about 19 described species in Microtominae.

<i>Phymata americana</i> Species of true bug

Phymata americana, known as the ambush bug, is a Phymatinae, or ambush bug in the family Reduviidae. It can be found on the flowers of various plants in Central America and North America, where it waits to prey on other insects.

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

Amblythyreus is a genus of ambush bugs found mainly in Asia with about 16 species. They are predators that lie in wait mainly in flowers, capturing prey using their forelegs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carcinocorini</span> Tribe of true bugs

Carcinocorini are a tribe of ambush bugs which are distinct in have a claw-like modification of the foreleg used to capture their prey. Such claw or chelae, which are common in crabs, are almost unknown in insects, present only in female wasps of the family Dryinidae. The name of the tribe is derived from the Greek karkinos for crab and coris for bug.

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

Petalocheirus is a genus of assassin bugs in the subfamily Salyavatinae. Species in the genus have a leaf-like broadening of the foretibia, and many species are known to be predators of termites. The genus is distributed in the tropics of Africa and Asia and species in apparently closely related genera such as Platychira may need further examination.

<i>Paleotriatoma</i> Extinct species of true bug

Paleotriatoma metaxytaxa is a species of fossil insect belonging to the subfamily Triatominae of the family Reduviidae. Living kissing bugs are blood-sucking insects responsible for the transmission of Chagas disease. Chagas is a parasitic disease affecting millions of people mainly in South America, Central America and Mexico.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Masonick, Paul; Michael, Amy; Frankenberg, Sarah; Rabitsch, Wolfgang; Weirauch, Christiane (1 September 2017). "Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 114: 225–233. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.010 . ISSN   1095-9513. PMID   28634150.
  2. Ross H. Arnett (2000). American insects: a handbook of the insects of America north of Mexico. CRC Press. ISBN   978-0-8493-0212-1 . Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  3. "Phymatidae". University of California, Riverside. Archived from the original on 2009-01-31.
  4. "Phymatid". University of Florida. Archived from the original on 2009-07-27.
  5. "Assassin Bugs & Ambush Bugs of Kentucky - University of Kentucky Entomology". www.uky.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  6. Phyma at dictionary.com.
  7. Handlirsch, A.; Austria) (1897). "Monographie der Phymatiden". Annalen des K.K. Naturhistorischen Hofmuseums. 12: 127–230.
  8. Christiane Weirauch & James B. Munro (2009). "Molecular phylogeny of the assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), based on mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal genes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 53 (1): 287–299. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.05.039. PMID   19531379.
  9. Weirauch, Christiane; Forero, Dimitri; Jacobs, Dawid H. (2011). "On the evolution of raptorial legs - an insect example (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae)". Cladistics. 27 (2): 138–149. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2010.00325.x . PMID   34875772. S2CID   85020081.
  10. Boyle, Julia; Start, Denon (2020). "Plasticity and habitat choice match colour to function in an ambush bug". Functional Ecology. 34 (4): 822–829. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13528 . ISSN   1365-2435. S2CID   214302722.
  11. "Phymatinae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  12. Masonick, Paul; Michael, Amy; Frankenberg, Sarah; Rabitsch, Wolfgang; Weirauch, Christiane (2017). "Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 114: 225–233. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.010 . PMID   28634150.
  13. "Ambush Bugs". MDC Discover Nature. Retrieved 2020-11-28.