New genus and new species of myrmecomorphic plant bug from Australia (Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirini)

Abstract Oecophyllodes bipunctatus gen. n. and sp. n., from northern Queensland, is associated with the green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius), on rattlepod, Crotalaria sp. (Fabaceae). Illustrations of the genitalic structures, scanning electron photomicrographs of various external structures, illustration of the dorsal habitus, and a comparative photograph conveying the ant-like habitus of the discussed taxa are provided.     

Sexual coevolution in the traumatically inseminating plant bug genus Coridromius

Sexual conflict has recently been proposed as a driving force behind the rapid diversification of genitalia among sexually reproducing organisms. In traumatically inseminating insects, males stab females in the side of the body with needle‐like genitalia, ejaculating into their body cavity. Such mating is costly to females and has led to the evolution of cost‐reducing ‘paragenitalia’ in some species. Whereas some consider this evidence of sexually antagonistic coevolution, others remain unconvinced. Variation in the reproductive morphology of both sexes – particularly males – is alleged to be negligible, contradicting the expectations of a coevolutionary arms race. Here, we use a phylogeny of the traumatically inseminating plant bug genus Coridromius to show that external female paragenitalia have evolved multiply across the genus and are correlated with changes in male genital shape. This pattern is characteristic of an evolutionary arms race driven by sexual conflict.     

Host plants of the tarnished plant bug (Heteroptera: Miridae) in Central Texas

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), has taken on added importance as a pest of cotton in the Cotton Belt after successful eradication efforts for the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman). Because the Southern Blacklands region of Central Texas is in advanced stages of boll weevil eradication, blooming weeds and selected row crops were sampled during a 3-yr study to determine lygus species composition and associated temporal host plants. L. lineolaris was the sole lygus species in the region. Thirteen previously unreported host plants were identified for L. lineolaris, of which 69% supported reproduction. Rapistrum rugosum L. Allioni and Ratibida columnifera (Nuttall) Wooton and Standley were primary weed hosts during the early season (17 March to 31 May). Conyza canadensis L. Cronquist variety canadensis and Ambrosia trifida L. were primary weed hosts during the midseason (1 June to 14 August) and late-season (15 August to 30 November), respectively. Sisymbrium irio L. and Lamium amplexicaule L. sustained L. lineolaris populations during the overwintering period (1 December to 16 March). The proportion of females and numbers of nymphs found in R. rugosum, C. canadensis, A. trifida, and S. irio suggests these weeds supported reproductive adults during the early, mid-, and late season and overwintering period, respectively. Medicago sativa L. was the leading crop host for L. lineolaris; Glycine max L. Merrill did not yield L. lineolaris. Few L. lineolaris were collected in Gossypium hirsutum L. These results provide a more comprehensive assessment of host plants contributing to L. lineolaris populations in central Texas.     

Further new species of the plant bug genus Campylomma Reuter from the Oriental Region (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Nasocorini)

The fauna of the nasocorine plant bug genus Campylomma Reuter from the Oriental Region, including subtropical Japanese Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa Island of Southwest Islands-group) and Taiwan is updated. Three new species are herein described, C. astica n. sp. (from Okinawa and Taoyuan, Taiwan), C. hibiscicola n. sp. (Bangkok, Thailand) and C. nanrenana n. sp. (Pingtung, Taiwan). Of these, C. astica and C. hibiscicola, were observed to have cryptic habitat-preference, inhabiting bracts, stipules or flower buds of the sea (or coastal) hibiscus, Hibiscus tiliaceus (L.) (Malvaceae), planted for landscaping at urbanized zones. An updated checklist of the 22 Oriental Campylomma species is provided.     

Oviposition and development of the tarnished plant bug (Heteroptera: Miridae) on field maize

Reduced insecticide use in cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., as a consequence of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program and the broad adoption of Bt cotton, have helped make the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), a consistent pest of cotton each year in the mid-south. Maize, Zea mays L., has been implicated as having a role in the season-long dynamics of tarnished plant bug infestations in cotton. To date, no published information exists describing the quality of maize as a host for tarnished plant bug. No-choice field studies indicated that adult tarnished plant bug females oviposited into maize leaves, tassels, and ears. Laboratory studies showed that first-instar tarnished plant bugs could successfully develop to the adult stage when fed maize silks at the R1 growth stage, tassels before (VT) and during (R1) pollen shed, and milk stage (R3) kernels from the tip and base of the ear. The proportion of nymphs surviving to the adult stage on these tissues was often similar to that of broccoli, Brassica oleracea L. Nymphs did not develop to adults when fed V5 or R1 maize leaves. However, survival of first instars to the adult stage was improved when nymphs fed on tassels with pollen for 6 d and then moved to silks or leaves. Another field study showed that tarnished plant bugs reproduced in maize mainly during the tassel (VE and VT) and the R1-R3 ear growth stages, and a single new generation was produced in maize during these stages. The highest population recorded during the study (24 June 2005) consisted mostly of nymphs and was estimated to be 29,600/ha (12,000/acre). These studies showed that maize is a suitable host for tarnished plant bug reproduction and development, and its production plays a significant role in the population dynamics of the tarnished plant bug in the mid-south.     

Morphology of the Phytophagous bug Platyscytus decempunctatus (Carvalho) (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Platyscytus decempunctatus Carvalho is a small mirid living throughout its life cicle plant Solanum cernuum Vell. (Solanaceae). The internal morphology of P. decempunctatus was studied and found that the female has a telotrophic ovary with three ovarioles in the right ovary and five in the left one. In the male reproductive trait there is a well developed tubular accessory gland. The phytophagous feeding habitat of P. decempunctatus was confirmed by the observations of chlorophyll pigments in the gut of all dissected specimens. The tubular salivary glands and the Malpighian tubules were also discussed.     

Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Nine polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers from the sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus, were isolated and characterized. These markers were used to analyse 22 individuals from a single field population. The number of alleles at these nine loci ranged from two to 28 (mean = 11.4) and heterozygosity ranged from 0.27 to 0.86 (mean = 0.58). Stenotus rubrovittatus has shown rapid population growth in the decades since the first report in the 1980s of serious damage to a rice crop. These microsatellite markers will be of value for studying both the population genetics and population dynamics of S. rubrovittatus.     

First record of the plant bug genus Ulmica Kerzhner (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) from Korea,with one new species

The orthotyline plant bug genus Ulmica Kerzhner, 1988 is reported from Korean peninsula for the first time, based on finding of the second congener that is herein described as Ulmica yasunagaisp. nov. Morphological diagnosis for the genus is provided, dorsal habitus, female and male genital structure of U. yasunagai are also suggested and figured to distinguish it unequivocally from the other known species, Ulmica baicalica (Kulik). urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:94307D23-A84B-4FD9-B73B-E2C8904E37C7     

Patterns of speciation in the genus Lopidea (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae)

Abstract. Speciation in four monophyletic species groups of the mirid genus Lopidea is examined. An analysis of twelve speciation events suggests that vicariance can account for at least 50% of speciation in Lopidea , and the frequency of sympatric host plant speciation may be as high as 25%.
In examples attributable to peripheral isolate speciation, the daughter taxa typically occur in recognized areas of endemism, suggesting a common cause (vicariance) for their origins. In addition, seven zones of disjunction between subspecies and allopatric sister species were identified for Lopidea , which correspond with similar disjunctions between sister taxa in other groups of organisms.     

Phylogeny of the plant bug subfamily Mirinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha: Miridae) based on total evidence analysis

The first comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of the most diverse subfamily of plant bugs, Mirinae, is presented in this study, for 110 representative taxa based on total evidence analysis. A total of 85 morphological characters and 3898 bp of mitochondrial (16S, COI) and nuclear (18S, 28S) sequences were analysed for each partitioned and combined dataset based on parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Major results obtained in this study include monophyly of the tribe Mecistoscelini. The largest tribe, Mirini, was recovered as polyphyletic, and Stenodemini was recovered as paraphyletic. The clade of Stenodemini + Mecistoscelini is the sister group of the remaining Mirinae. The monophyly of two complexes composed of superficially similar genera were tested; the Lygus complex was recovered as nonmonophyletic, and the Adelphocoris–Creontiades–Megacoelum complex was confirmed to be monophyletic. The generic relationships of the main clades within each tribe based on the phylogeny, as well as their supported morphological characters, are discussed.     

Effect of ULV malathion use in boll weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) eradication on resistance in the tarnished plant bug (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), from regions 1, 2, and 3 of the boll weevil, Anthonomous grandis Boheman, eradication program in Mississippi were collected from wild hosts and tested for malathion resistance during the spring and fall of 2000 and 2001. Plant bugs were also tested in region 1 in late-July and October of 1999, just before and after multiple applications of ultra-low-volume (ULV) malathion were used for reproduction-diapause control of boll weevils in August and September. Regions 1 (north Delta), 2 (south Delta), and 3 (hills) began boll weevil eradication in 1999, 1998, and 1997, respectively. A glass-vial bioassay was used to determine resistance in plant bugs to malathion by comparing LC50 values against an LC50 value obtained for susceptible plant bugs. Comparison of the LC50 value obtained for plant bugs at a location in the spring was also made with the LC50 value obtained in the fall at the same location. After multiple applications of malathion made for reproduction-diapause boll weevil control in region 1 in August and September, malathion resistance increased by 4.9-, 6.5-, and 20.8-fold in plant bug populations from the three test locations. Results from testing bugs from all three eradication regions were similar. Malathion resistance usually increased significantly from spring to fall and then declined significantly from fall to spring of the next year. Despite reduced use of malathion in all three eradication regions for boll weevils in 2001, resistance to malathion in plant bugs still increased significantly from spring to fall at all test locations in regions 1 and 2 (the Delta). Malathion resistance did not increase significantly in plant bug populations in region 3 (the hills) in 2001 from spring to fall at three of four test locations in this year. Possible causes for the higher malathion resistance found in plant bugs in the Delta are discussed. Overall test results showed that the use of malathion in boll weevil eradication in cotton probably contributed to increases in resistance to malathion in plant bug populations in the eradication areas. However, the expression of this resistance was usually rapidly lost by spring of the following year. Boll weevil eradication did not seem to produce a permanent increase in the expression of malathion resistance in tarnished plant bug populations found in the eradication regions.     

Performance of polyethylene tubes as pheromone lures for the sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae)

The sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae), is a pest that infests rice in many regions of Japan. Three sex attractant pheromone components—hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal—were identified in S. rubrovittatus. Because the longevity of a synthetic rubber septum dispenser is not sufficient for it to be an effective S. rubrovittatus pheromone lure, the performances of an alternative pheromone dispenser—a polyethylene tube—was examined. Hexyl butyrate and (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate are essential components of S. rubrovittatus male attraction, and the application of (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal strongly enhanced the attractiveness of such “tube-type” lures. A 5:1:10 blend of hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal was found to be the best blend ratio for male attraction in the tube-type lures. Tube-type lures attracted more males than rubber lures. Furthermore, the attractiveness of the tube-type lures was maintained for more than 28 days in the field. These results suggest that tube-type lures made of polyethylene plastic are suitable for monitoring S. rubrovittatus in fields.     

New records of the plant bug subfamilies Orthotylinae and Phylinae (Heteroptera,Miridae) from the European part of Russia

New records of plant bug species of the subfamilies Orthotylinae and Phylinae are given for selected regions of European Russia based on the extensive collections of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). The locality data and general distribution are presented for all the 97 species included in the list.     

New records of the plant bug subfamilies Bryocorinae,Deraeocorinae, and Mirinae (Heteroptera: Miridae) from the European part of Russia

New records of plant bug species are given for selected regions of European Russia based on the extensive collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). The locality data and general distribution are given for all the 71 species included.     

Visualizing eggs of Nesidiocoris tenuis (Heteroptera: Miridae) embedded in tomato plant tissues

Nesidiocoris tenuis (Heteroptera: Miridae) is a predator of some major pests of Solanaceae crops, yet it is scarcely used in biological control because it also feeds on plants and may damage crops. The study of N. tenuis biology may promote the ability to use it as a biological control agent. Because N. tenuis, like some other insect taxa, oviposits into plant tissues, its eggs are hard to detect. This limits our ability to study N. tenuis – plant interactions. We therefore looked for a staining method for plant‐embedded eggs, which will allow their detection within tomato plants, a common host of N. tenuis. We first used lactophenol solution with acid fuchsin to stain eggs inside tomato foliage. Because of the high toxicity of lactophenol, we later substituted lactophenol with a lactoglycerol solution, which was found to be similarly efficient. Five minutes immersion in the staining solution at 80°C followed by a two‐minute soak in hot water made the eggs stain deep red, while the foliage became transparent and was stained weak red. Eggs within leaves were easily visible under 10–30× magnification with sub‐stage lighting; top‐lighting was needed for the detection of eggs embedded in less‐transparent tissues such as stems. This rapid staining method improves the ability to study some important biological aspects of N. tenuis, such as its fecundity. Also, the elimination of phenol made the method cheaper and safer to use. Finally, this method may be adapted for other arthropod–plant systems.     

Native braconid parasitism of the Tarnished plant bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Southern Ontario

Three agricultural regions in southern Ontario (London, Niagara and Guelph) were sampled weekly from May to September for Lygus spp. and their parasitoids in 1998, 1999 and only one region in 2000. Alfalfa was the primary crop sampled, including both “clean” and weedy alfalfa fields. Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) accounted for 99% of all Lygus spp. collected by sweepnet. Lygus lineolaris had two generations (mid-June and late July) on alfalfa with a partial third generation in early September which contributes to the over-wintering adults. In 1998 and 2000, an early first generation peak of Lygus nymphs was observed in mid-May on the weeds, chickweed and shepherd's purse. Overall rates of parasitism (from dissections) for native parasitoids were consistent from year to year and the means of the three regions in each growing season were below 11%. Both nymphs and adult Lygus were parasitized, with the highly mobile adults being a potential means of dispersing the parasitoids. In general weedy fields were more highly parasitized than fields of weed-free alfalfa. Six species of native braconid parasitoids were collected from L. lineolaris in southern Ontario (in decreasing order of occurrence): Peristenus pallipes (Curtis), Peristenus pseudopallipes (Loan), Leiophron lygivorus (Loan), L. solidaginis Loan, L. uniformis (Gahan), and Leiophron sp. near brevipetiolatus Loan. The large populations of Lygus and the low percent baseline parasitism in southern Ontario, particularly of second generation Lygus, support the need for introduction of a multivoltine parasitoid species in this region.     

Revision of the plant bug genus Xenocylapidius (Hemiptera,Heteroptera, Miridae,Cylapinae), with descriptions of five new species from Australia and New Caledonia

The genus Xenocylapidius Gorczyca, 1997 is revised. Five new species: Xenocylapidius acutipennis sp. n., Xenocylapidius ater sp. n., Xenocylapidius bimaculatus sp. n., Xenocylapidius gemellus sp. n., and Xenocylapidius rolandi sp. n. are described from Australia and New Caledonia. Illustrations of the male genitalia, color photographs of dorsal and lateral views of the adults of all species, and key to species of the genus Xenocylapidius are provided.