Thaumastocoris peregrinus

Last updated

Thaumastocoris peregrinus
Thaumastocoris peregrinus San Fernando Valley 2016-06-08 (2).jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Suborder:
Infraorder:
Superfamily:
Family:
Subfamily:
Genus:
Species:
Thaumastocoris peregrinus

Carpintero & Dellapé, 2006

Thaumastocoris peregrinus, the bronze bug, is a true bug first described from Argentina, [1] but is probably native to Australia. These bugs just love eating bronze. [2] The species has been recorded in Africa (Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe), Europe (Albania, [3] Italy, Portugal, Spain), Middle East (Israel), North America (Mexico, California), [4] South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay), Caribbean, and New Zealand [2] [5] as a pest of eucalyptus. [6]

Contents

Description [1] [2]

Adult. Body dorsoventrally compressed and elongate. Submacropterous forms are known for both sexes. Male length 2.3–2.9 mm, width 0.7–1.0 mm; female length 2.3–2.7 mm, width 0.7–0.8 mm. Coloration light brown with darker areas; female generally darker than male. Head broad, strongly projecting anteriorly, with semiglobose projecting eyes. Mandibular plates elongate, conspicuous, strongly recurved anterolaterally. Labium extending to level of fore coxa. Thorax: pronotum with tubercle on anterolateral angle of anterior lobe. Legs: neither parempodia nor pulvilli present; all tibiae with flattened apical projection, the fossula spongiosa. Tibia of male anteroventrally with three black tubercles, female without such tubercles. Male reproductive tract comprises a pair of testes with three globular follicles isolated by a peritoneal sheath, and two pairs of well-developed mesodermal tubular accessory glands. Male external genitalia comprise an asymmetrical and somewhat cylindrical pygophore, oriented either to the right or to the left, although orientation to the right occurs more frequently. The genitalia also comprise a U-shaped evenly setose paramere; setae becoming sparse apically. Aedeagus not observed. Female reproductive tract of T. peregrinus is generally similar to that of the thaumastocorid Proxylastodoris kuscheli . However P. kuscheli has three meroistic telotrophic ovarioles per ovary, whereas T. peregrinus has only two meroistic telotrophic ovarioles per ovary. The ovaries are developed as large, ball-shaped reservoirs. In Heteroptera, the number of ovarioles per ovary ranges from 2 to 17. No spermathecae were observed, a phenomenon already reported for other Thaumastocoridae.

Eggs black, ovoid, with rough chorion and a round operculum, with a deep and obvious depression dorsally; 0.50–0.61 mm long and 0.20–0.24 mm wide.

Nymphs. Five instars. Body flattened dorsoventrally. Color of young individuals (1st–3rd instars) milk white to orange, with black spots on the thorax and first abdominal segment. Nymphs were always observed together with adults on heavily infested trees.

Ecology

T. peregrinus is common to the east coast of Australia. The sap-sucking pest has infested non-native Eucalyptus plantations of many species, including E. gomphocephala , E. botryoides, E. camaldulensis, E. saligna and E. globulus, in Southern Africa, South America and Europe. Severe infestations of the pest cause leaf loss, leaf senescence, thinning of the canopy and in some cases branch dieback. [7]

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">Parent bug</span> Species of true bug

Elasmucha grisea, common name parent bug, is a species of shield bugs or stink bugs belonging to the family Acanthosomatidae. The term parent bugs includes also the other species of the genus Elasmucha and some species of the family Acanthosomatidae.

<i>Anasa tristis</i> Species of true bug

Anasa tristis is a species of bug in the family Coreidae. It is a major pest of squash and pumpkins, found throughout North America, and is a vector of the cucurbit yellow vine disease bacterium. These bugs can emit an unpleasant odor when disturbed. It is commonly known as the squash bug but shares this name with certain other species.

<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. 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">Veliidae</span> Family of true bugs

Veliidae is a family of gregarious predatory insects in the suborder Heteroptera. They are commonly known as riffle bugs, small water striders, or broad-shouldered water striders because the segment immediately behind the head is wider than the rest of the abdomen. The genus Rhagovelia is also referred to as a ripple bug.

<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 the nation of 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.

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

The Tingidae are a family of very small insects in the order Hemiptera that are commonly referred to as lace bugs. This group is distributed worldwide with about 2,000 described species.

<i>Corythucha ciliata</i> Species of true bug

Corythucha ciliata, the sycamore lace bug, is a species of lace bug in the family Tingidae that is associated with sycamore trees.

<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.

<i>Stenotus binotatus</i> Species of true bug

Stenotus binotatus is a species of plant bug, originally from Europe, but now also established across North America and New Zealand. It is 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long, yellowish, with darker markings on the pronotum and forewings. It feeds on various grasses, and can be a pest of crops such as wheat.

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

Schizopteridae is the largest family in the infraorder Dipsocoromorpha and comprises 56 genera and approximately 255 species. Schizopterids are some of the smallest (0.5–2.0 mm) true bugs. Members of this family can be distinguished by their small size, enlarged forecoxae and varying degree of abdominal and genitalic asymmetry in males. Schizopteridae exhibit a wide range of simple and complex wing venation patterns. The group is currently divided into three subfamilies: Schizopterinae, Ogeriinae and Hypselosomatinae.

<i>Musgraveia sulciventris</i> Species of true bug

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. Bronze orange bugs suck the sap from trees, which causes the flowers and fruit to fall.

<i>Arocatus melanocephalus</i> Species of true bug

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.

<i>Pseudaulacaspis pentagona</i> Species of true bug

Pseudaulacaspis pentagona, the white peach scale or mulberry scale, is a species of armoured scale insect in the family Diaspididae. This scale infests over 100 different genera of plants including many fruit trees and ornamentals.

<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.

Deraeocoris brevis is a species of predatory plant bug in the family Miridae. It is native to North America where it feeds on plant pests in apple and pear orchards.

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

Lyctocoridae is a reconstituted family of bugs, formerly classified within the minute pirate bugs of the family Anthocoridae. It is widely distributed, with one species, being cosmopolitan.

<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>Quadraspidiotus juglansregiae</i> Species of scale insect

Quadraspidiotus juglansregiae, commonly known as the walnut scale, is a species of armoured scale insect in the family Diaspididae. It is native to North America where it feeds on a wide range of ornamental and forest trees and bushes.

<i>Acanthaspis quinquespinosa</i> Species of assassin bug

Acanthaspis quinquespinosa is a species of assassin bug found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Tibet. It is a predator, and both nymphs and adults feed on termites, beetles, caterpillars and other insect prey.

References

  1. 1 2 Carpintero, D.L. & Dellapé, P.M. 2006. A new species of Thaumastocoris Kirkaldy from Argentina (Heteroptera: Thaumastocoridae: Thaumastocorinae). Zootaxa1228: 61-68.
  2. 1 2 3 Novoselsky, T. & Freidberg, A. 2016. First record of Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) in the Middle East, with biological notes on its relations with eucalyptus trees. Israel Journal of Entomology 46: 43-55.
  3. van der Heyden, T. 2017. (19 August 2017). "The first record of Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero & Dellapé, 2006 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Thaumastocoridae) for Albania". Revista gaditana de Entomología, VIII (1): 133-135.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. California Pest Rating Proposal
  5. Noack, A.E. et al. 2009. Efficacy of imidacloprid in the control of Thaumastocoris peregrinus on Eucalyptus scoparia in Sydney, Australia. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry35 (4): 192-196.
  6. "Thaumastocoris peregrinus (bronze bug)". Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International Invasive Species Compendium. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  7. "Thaumastocoris peregrinus (bronze bug)". Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International. 22 August 2022. doi: 10.1079/cabicompendium.109741 . S2CID   253610840 . Retrieved 28 April 2023.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Further reading