Pentatomoidea

Shield and stink bugs
Acanthosoma labiduroides female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Infraorder: Pentatomomorpha
Superfamily: Pentatomoidea
Families

See text

Pentatomoidea is a superfamily of insects in the Heteroptera suborder of the Hemiptera order and, as such, share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts.[1] They are commonly referred to as shield bugs, chust bugs, and stink bugs.

There are about 7000 species under Pentatomoidea, divided under 14 to 15 families.[2][3]

Contents

Description

Pentatomoidea are characterized by a well developed scutellum (the hardened extension of the thorax over the abdomen). It can be triangular to semi-elliptical in shape.[3] Pentatomoidea usually have an antennae with five segments. The tarsi usually have two or three segments.[4]

Shield bugs have glands in their thorax between the first and second pair of legs which produce a foul smelling liquid. This liquid is used defensively to deter potential predators and is sometimes released when the bugs are handled carelessly.

The nymphs, similar to adults except smaller and without wings, also have stink glands.

The nymphs and adults have piercing mouthparts, which most use to suck sap from plants, although some eat other insects. When they group in large numbers, they can become significant pests.

Species that resemble pentatomoids are found in the superfamily Coreoidea.

Families

The following families are classified under Pentatomoidea:[5]

Example species of the families under Pentatomoidea
Cydnidae: Tritomegas sexmaculatus
Dinidoridae: Megymenum affine 
Scutelleridae: The lychee shield bug, Chrysocoris stolli, a jewel bug. 
Tessaratomidae: Tessaratoma papillosa nymph. 

Phylogeny

The morphological unweighted tree of Pentatomoidea after Grazia et al. (2008).[14][15]

      ←      
             

Urostylididae


             
             

Saileriolidae


             
             

Acanthosomatidae


             
             
             

Tessaratomidae


             

Dinidoridae


  Cydnidae sensu lato  
             

Cydnidae


             

Thaumastellidae


             

Parastrachiinae



             
             

Corimelaenidae


             

Lestoniidae


             

Phloeidae


             
             

Scutelleridae


             

Plataspididae



             

Pentatomidae


             

Canopidae


             

Megarididae








See also

References

  1. ^ "Hemiptera: bugs, aphids and cicadas". CSIRO. http://www.ento.csiro.au/education/insects/hemiptera.html. Retrieved 2007-05-08. 
  2. ^ a b Cedric Gillott (1995). Entomology. Springer. p. 604. ISBN 9780306449673. http://books.google.com/books?id=DrTKxvZq_IcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  3. ^ a b c d G. Cassis, Australia. Bureau of Flora and Fauna, & Gordon F. Gross (2002). Zoological catalogue of Australia: Hemiptera: Heteroptera (Pentatomomorpha). Csiro Publishing. p. 353. ISBN 9780643068759. http://books.google.com/books?id=UWifn5wT6D8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  4. ^ T. N. Ananthakrishnan (2004). General and applied entomology. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. p. 370. ISBN 9780070434356. http://books.google.com/books?id=KHt-daXqZ-sC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  5. ^ David A. Rider (October 20, 2009). "Classification". Department of Entomology, North Dakota State University. http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/rider/Pentatomoidea/Classification/classification.htm. Retrieved April 29, 2011. 
  6. ^ Faúndez, E. I. 2009. Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Acrophyma Bergroth, 1917 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Acanthosomatidae). Zootaxa. 2137: 57–65
  7. ^ a b P220 Randall T. Schuh, James Alexander Slater, True bugs of the world (Hemiptera:Heteroptera): classification and natural history, Cornell University Press, 1995, ISBN 0-8014-2066-0
  8. ^ P136 Christopher G. Morris Academic Press dictionary of science and technology, Gulf Professional Publishing, 1992, ISBN 0-12-200400-0
  9. ^ www.discoverlife.org
  10. ^ a b c d Robert G. Foottit, Peter H. Adler Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society, John Wiley and Sons, 2009, ISBN 1-4051-5142-0
  11. ^ James T. Costa (2006), The other insect societies; Belknap Press Series Harvard University Press, p.311, ISBN 0-674-02163-0
  12. ^ P353 Zoological Catalogue of Australia
  13. ^ Mike Boone (September 11, 2004). "Family Thyreocoridae – Ebony Bugs". BugGuide, Iowa State University. http://bugguide.net/node/view/6985. Retrieved April 29, 2011. 
  14. ^ Dimitri Forero (March 13, 2009). "Pentatomoidea". Tree of Life web project. http://tolweb.org/Pentatomoidea/10945. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
  15. ^ Jocelia Grazia, Randall T. Schuhb, & Ward C. Wheeler (2008). "Phylogenetic relationships of family groups in Pentatomoidea based on morphology and DNA sequences (Insecta: Heteroptera)". Cladistics (Wiley-Blackwell) 24: 932–976. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2008.00224.x. http://research.amnh.org/scicomp/pdfs/wheeler/Graziaetal2008.pdf. Retrieved April 27, 2011. 

External links