| Megacopta cribraria | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Superfamily: | Pentatomoidea |
| Family: | Plataspididae |
| Genus: | Megacopta |
| Species: | M. cribraria |
| Binomial name | |
| Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius, 1798) |
|
Megacopta cribraria, also called the Bean Plataspid, Kudzu Bug, Globular Stink Bug or Lablab Bug, is a shield bug native to India and China where it is an agricultural pest of Lablab beans and other legumes.[1] The bug, while harmless to houseplants and people, often enters houses. It is attracted to white surfaces such as the walls of houses or white vehicles where large numbers of the insects congregate.[2]
It is similar to other Plataspididae in having a somewhat unusual symbiotic relationship with its gut bacteria. Before laying eggs, females deposit particles containing the symbiont which are then eaten by newly-hatched nymphs under natural conditions. Nymphs experimentally deprived of access to the symbiont exhibited slower growth, smaller body sizes, and higher mortality.[3]
In the Southeastern United States M. cribraria is an introduced pest species, first noticed in northeastern Georgia in 2009. As of 2011 it was spreading rapidly into surrounding states. It gives off an offensive odor when touched or squashed. Hosted by wisteria, green beans and other legumes, the insect sucks juice from the stems of soybean plants and reduces crop yield. The insect infests kudzu appreciably reducing its growth.[2]
Plataspidae).]