Arocatus rusticus
| Arocatus rusticus | ||||||||||
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Arocatus rusticus - male imago |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Arocatus rusticus | ||||||||||
| ( Stål , 1867) |
Arocatus rusticus is a bug from the family of ground bugs (Lygaeidae).
features
The slender bugs are 9-10 millimeters long. The fully grown bugs are orange-red and matt black in color. The triangular head, antennae and legs are black. The eyes on the side of the head are strikingly large. The front part of the pronotum is orange-red. The black posterior part of the pronotum has an orange-red posterior border. The scutellum and the membrane are black. The hemielytres have two orange-red bands that form an X. The triangular areas on the outer edge of the wing are black.
distribution and habitat
The type of bug that was originally widespread in Australia is now also found in New Zealand . In Australia it is represented on the east coast (Queensland), in New Zealand its occurrence extends in the south to the Otago region .
Way of life
The bugs can be found on various silk plants (Asclepias), in particular on Asclepias physocarpa (English Swan Plant ). The bugs are therefore also called Swan Plant Bugs in English . Other important forage plants are dog poison plants (Apocynaceae) of the genera Tweedia and Parsonsia . The bugs suckle on seeds, stems and leaves. In doing so, they absorb toxins that they have deposited in their bodies and are therefore inedible for potential predators . The red-black coloration of the bugs also serves for protection. The bug species overwinters as an imago.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Common Small Milkweed Bug - Arocatus rusticus . www.brisbaneinsects.com. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Bug (Swan plant bug) Arocatus rusticus . TER: RAIN - Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ↑ Larivière, MC; Larochelle, A: FNZ 50 - Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) catalog - Alphabetical list of taxa . www.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
