Sphyrocoris obliquus (Germar)

Eger, J. E, 2012, The Genus Sphyrocoris Mayr (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae: Pachycorinae), The Great Lakes Entomologist 45, pp. 235-250 : 247-248

Sphyrocoris obliquus (Germar)

Pachycoris obliquus Germar, 1839:94 ; Herrich-Schaeffer, 1839:54-55, fig. 491; Dallas, 1851:35; Walker, 1867:48.

Homaemus obliquus: Stål, 1862:81 .

Homaemus punctellus Stål, 1862:81-82 ; Walker, 1867:54. NEW SYNONYMY Sphyrocoris obliquus: Mayr, 1864:904 ; Stål, 1870:15; Distant, 1880:21; Schouteden, 1904:59; Kirkaldy, 1909:279; Crawford 1913:344 (parasites); Van Duzee, 1917:8; Stoner, 1925:8-9; Blatchley, 1926:42-43 (description, host); Barber and Bruner, 1932:242-243; Torre-Bueno, 1939:169 (keyed); Barber, 1939:278; Callan, 1948:123 (host, parasites); Wolcott, 1951:190; Lattin, 1964:165-173, figs. 52-54 (keyed, described, biology); McDonald, 1966:14, 49, figs. 52-56, 429-430 (genitalia); Johnson, 1987:294-295 (egg parasite); Froeschner, 1988:691, fig. 146.

Sphyrocoris punctellus: Stål, 1867:495 ; Stål, 1870:15; Distant, 1880:21-22, pl. 2, fig. 5; Schouteden, 1904:59, pl. 5, fig. 15; Kirkaldy, 1909:279; Van Duzee, 1917:8; Blatchley, 1934:2 (host); Torre-Bueno, 1939:169 (keyed); Bibby, 1961:329 (host); Lattin, 1964:173-180, figs. 55-57 (keyed, described, biol-ogy); Goeden and Ricker, 1976b:1171 (host); Froeschner, 1988:691; Jones, 1993:23 (hosts).

Pachycoris delineatus Walker, 1867:48-49 (synonymized by Distant, 1889a:44, 51).

Sphyrocoris punctellus vars. b, c, d: Stål, 1870:15.

Sphyrocoris elongatus Distant, 1880:21 , pl. 2, fig. 6; Distant, 1889b:314; Distant, 1893:454; Schouteden, 1904:59; Kirkaldy, 1909:279. NEW SYNONYMY. Tetyra? delineatus: Uhler, 1886:1 .

Sphyrocoris punctellus nigricans Kirkaldy, 1909:279 . N EW SYNONYMY.

Sphyrocoris punctellus pallidomaculata Kirkaldy, 1909:279 . NEW SYNONYMY.

Sphyrocoris punctellus sanguineoconspersa Kirkaldy, 1909:279. NEW SYNONYMY.

Sphaerocoris [sic!] punctellus: Van Duzee, 1923:124 (host).

Sphyrocoris (Pachycoris) obliquus: Fennah, 1935:194 (host).

Spyhyrocoris [sic!] obliquus: Goeden and Ricker, 1976a:925 (host).

DIAGNOSIS: Coloration variable, pale to dark brown, with or without distinctive pattern; pattern typically consisting of alternating light and dark bands in an inverted ‘U’ or ‘V’ shape on the pronotum and scutellum, darker bands on the scutellum sometimes coalescing into two large macules. Coloration of head more uniform, narrow area at suture between tylus and juga darker than disc, dark coloration commonly continuing to base of head. Dorsal punctation dense, black, variably distributed, most dense on head.

Venter pale, punctation concolorous to black, dense to relatively sparse. Lateral margin of abdominal sterna and most of lateral margin of propleura pale, impunctate. Legs punctate, punctures black to concolorous, sometimes black maculate. First two antennal segments pale, terminal three segments pale to dark brown.

Genitalia described and figured by Lattin (1964) and McDonald (1966).

TYPE MATERIAL: The location of the type of Pachycoris obliquus was reported by Lattin (1964) to be unknown and I was unable to locate it. Stål (1862) described Homaemus punctellus from Mexico without designating types. He subsequently ( Stål 1870) listed three varieties (vars. b, c, and d), which Kirkaldy (1909) gave the varietal names sanguineoconspersa, pallidomaculata, and nigricans, respectively. Thus, Kirkaldy’s names were based on Stål’s specimens and because they were published before 1961, should be considered subspecies of S. punctellus . I examined five types of Homaemus punctellus , all in the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm. They were as follows: 1 male labeled: a) Mexico, b) Signt., c) Type, d) Paratypus (designated LECTOTYPE of Homaemus punctellus ) ; 1 male labeled: a) Mexico, b) Signt., c) Paratypus; 1 female labeled: a) Mexico, b) Boucard, c) Type, d) var. b, e) Paratypus (designated LECTOTYPE of Sphyrocoris punctellus sanguineoconspersa ); 1 male labeled: a) Mexico, b) Sallé, c) Type, d) var. c, e) Paratypus (designated LECTOTYPE of Sphyrocoris punctellus pallidomaculata ); 1 male labeled: a) Mexico, b) Boucard, c) Type, d) var. d, e) Paratypus (designated LECTOTYPE of Sphyrocoris punctellus nigricans ). The type of Pachycoris delineatus , is a female in the British Museum, London, labeled: a) Type, b) St. Dom. 55.1, c)”17 Pachycoris delineatus ”, d) Brit. Mus., Type No. Hem. 506. The type of Sphyrocoris elongatus was not located, but specimens in the British Museum from Distant’s collection, determined by Distant, leave little doubt that this is S. obliquus .

DISTRIBUTION: Specimens were examined from California, Arizona, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Cuba, Bahamas, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Bequia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Vincent, Antigua, Grenada, Jamaica, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela and Colombia. I have not seen specimens from Martinique, the type locality, Puerto Rico, or Barbados although it was reported from Puerto Rico by Wolcott (1951) and from Barbados by Stoner (1925).

BIOLOGY: Sphyrocoris obliquus has been reported from numerous plants ( Bibby 1961; Blatchley 1926, 1934; Callan 1948; Fennah 1935; Goeden and Ricker 1976a, 1976b; Jones 1993; Lattin 1964; Van Duzee 1923). I have collected all life stages from Spanish needles ( Bidens bipinnata L.) in Florida and I have observed adults and nymphs feeding on the seeds of this plant. I also collected adults from Bidens sp. in Mexico. In addition, the color pattern commonly found in Florida females provides excellent camouflage on the seed heads of B. bipinnata . This is one of the most common scutellerids in Florida and, judging by the numbers of specimens in collections, is quite common throughout much of its range. Bidens spp. are common weeds in disturbed areas and its abundance may be one reason that this insect is so common.

The eggs of S. obliquus are reportedly parasitized by Trissolcus trinidadensis Crawford ( Hymenoptera : Scelionidae ) ( Crawford 1913, Callan 1948), a junior synonym of T. urichi Crawford ( Johnson 1987) .