Scutellerinae

Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006, Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae), Denisia 19, pp. 275-398 : 332-334

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.12996779
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13715160
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0380878F-FF86-FFA6-FDD0-FAFEC67CFE58
treatment provided by	Luisschmitz
scientific name	Scutellerinae
status

Treatment

Subfamily Scutellerinae

Pentatomidae , Scutellerina, Scutelleraria STÅL 1872: 32 (new suprageneric taxon) Pentatomidae , Scutellerinae, Scutelleraria: SCHOUTEDEN 1904: 13 (description) Pentatomidae , Scutellerinae, Scutellerini: KIRKALDY 1909: 289 (catalogue) Pentatomidae , Scutellerinae, Scutellerini: LESTON 1952d: 13 (new suprageneric classification) Scutelleridae , Scutellerinae: MCDONALD 1966: 67, 68 (new suprageneric classification) Scutelleridae , Scutellerinae: MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 550 (Australia)

Diagnosis: The Scutellerinae are recog-nised by the following combination charac-ters: small (e.g., Figs 24b View Fig , 37 View Fig ) to very large body (e.g., Figs 19 View Fig a-d, 28a); ovoid (e.g., Figs 24b View Fig , 37 View Fig ) to elongate-ovoid ( Figs 28a, b View Fig ), sometimes strongly tapered towards terminalia; body weakly (e.g., Fig. 28a View Fig ) to heavily punctate ( Figs 24a View Fig , c-f); body brilliant, aposematically coloured, often with iridescent blue, green, orange colouration, often with contrasting markings (e.g., Figs 19 View Fig a-d, 24a, c-f, 28a-e); head subtriangular to suboval (e.g., Fig. 31a View Fig ); thoracic sterna flat (e.g., Figs 20c View Fig , 29c View Fig , 31c View Fig ); anterior margin of proepisternum weakly explanate (e.g., Figs 20c View Fig , 31c View Fig ); efferent system of metathoracic glands well-developed (e.g., Figs 20d View Fig , 25d View Fig , 31d View Fig ); peritreme mostly subreniform (e.g., Figs 20d View Fig , 39d View Fig , 42d View Fig ), sometimes large, subtriangular (e.g., Figs 25d View Fig , 29d View Fig ), or obovate (e.g., Figs 31d View Fig , 38c View Fig ); males without abdominal androconial or setose sternal glands; pregenital abdomen in both sexes without stridulatory vittae; ventral surface of pygophore caudally (e.g., Figs 32 View Fig a-h) or ventrally oriented (e.g., Figs 29e View Fig , 30e View Fig ); parameres hook-shaped (e.g., Figs 22b View Fig , 40b View Fig ); ejaculatory apparatus usually well-developed, with convoluted ventral conducting canal and oval to subelliptoid ejaculatory reservoir (e.g., Figs 30c, d View Fig , 36c, d View Fig , 40c, d View Fig ); CAI usually absent, rarely present (e.g., Figs 22c, d View Fig ); CAII usually bifurcate, with lobal sclerites (e.g., Figs 22c, d View Fig , 36c, d View Fig , 40c, d View Fig ), CAIII undivided, often U-shaped (e.g., Figs 26d View Fig , 30d View Fig , 43d View Fig ) or divided (e.g., Figs 22c, d View Fig ); spermathecal fecundation canal short or long; and, spermathecal reservoir oval.

Remarks: There is no unique character state defining the Scutellerinae , and most of the above-mentioned features are also true for the family. They are the most brilliantly coloured of all the scutellerids, but numerous Pachycorinae also exhibit colouration consistent with models of warning colouration. The male and female genitalia are also similar to taxa in other scutellerid subfamilies, such as the Elvisurinae and Sphaerocorinae, although the development of the ventral conducting canal of the ejaculatory apparatus is putatively greatest in the scutellerines, such as in Cantao parentum ( Figs 30c, d View Fig ). Many species have a U-shaped, and basally fused CAIII (e.g., Figs 26d View Fig , 30d View Fig , 43d View Fig ), but there are significant variations, particularly in Calliphara ( Fig. 22d View Fig ). Scutellerines can be separated from the Pachycorinae , and Odon-totarsinae + Tectocorinae , in lacking stridulatory vittae and androconial/setose sternal glands respectively. They can be separated from the Elvisurinae , Odontotarsinae and Sphaerocorinae superficially by their aposematic colouration (cf. dull colouration), although even in the latter subfamily some taxa exhibit moderately striking colouration, as in Sphaerocoris BURMEISTER.

SCHUH & SLATER (1995) adopted LESTON’ s (1952d) definition of the Scutellerinae (including the Elvisurinae and Sphaerocorinae), but on the basis of the emarginate abdominal sterna (recurved anteriorly) and the presence of two intervannal veins in the hindwing. Neither of these characters is considered exclusive to this conception of the taxon. We have retained the scutellerines in the narrow sense, despite it being a ‘convenience’ group, as it helps in distinguishing the colourful Australian scutellerid species, pending a more in-depth review of the issue.