Belonochilus numenius
| Belonochilus numenius | ||||||||||||
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Belonochilus numenius |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Belonochilus | ||||||||||||
| Uhler , 1876 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Belonochilus numenius | ||||||||||||
| ( Say , 1831) |
Belonochilus numenius is a species in the family of ground bugs (Lygaeidae). The genus Belonochilus is monotypical , that is, it consists of only one species.
features
The slender bugs are about 5.5 mm long. The head is greatly elongated and tapers towards the tip. The distance from the eyes to the top of the head is more than twice as long as the size of the eyes. The forehead has no keels. The side edges of the corium are straight. It has a single thorn on its fore legs. On the side of the fuselage, the mesopleurs overlap the propleurs. The bug is predominantly pale yellow-brown in color. A yellow central line runs over the pronotum and the scutellum . The corium has a large red or brown spot at the apical end.
distribution
Belonochilus numenius is native to the Nearctic (North America). There their distribution area extends from New England to Florida as well as Louisiana and California to Mexico, north to Ontario. The species was introduced into Europe at the beginning of the 21st century. The first finds date from 2008, 2009 and 2010 from France, Spain, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic. Since then it has spread rapidly over almost all of Europe. The species is now also represented in Germany, first recorded in 2012 near Rastatt (Baden-Württemberg).
The species only insignificantly damages the infected plane trees. However, it is now considered a nuisance in Catalonia because thousands of flying bugs can penetrate houses (similar to the birch bug widespread in Central Europe ).
Way of life
Belonochilus numenius lives at different plane trees ( Platanus ), including American sycamore ( Platanus occidentalis ), California sycamore ( Platanus racemosa ) and London plane ( Platanus × acerifolia ), which represent their host and feed crops. Adults are often found on leaves, but the nymphs only suckle the fruit. The species overwinters in the egg stage in the collective fruits (fruit heads) that have fallen on the ground. The nymphs of the first generation that hatch in the following spring suckle on the nuts lying on the ground in the, now mostly decayed, collective fruits. The fully developed adults fly to the host trees where they lay their eggs. Nymphs of the summer generations suckle on the developing fruit stalks on the tree itself. The species forms 3 to 4 generations per year. The adult bedbugs can be seen in southwest Germany until the second half of January.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Lygaeidae of Florida (Hemiptera Heteroptera), Belonochilus numenius . University of Florida Digital Collections, UF, George A Smathers Libraires. Pp. 33-34. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ↑ a b G.CE Scudder (1985): Heteroptera new to Canada. Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia 82: 66-71.
- ↑ a b Michael Madl: Belonochilus numenius (SAY, 1832) (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) has reached Austria! . Contributions to entomofaunistics 12 - short messages. December 2011. Accessed October 24, 2019.
- ↑ Dietrich J. Werner, Johann Brandner, Andreas Müller, Manfred Zapf (2013): A find of Belonochilus numenius (SAY, 1831) in Germany (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) with discussion of the year of the first description of the species. Heteropteron 39: 37-39 .
- ↑ Josep M. Riba, Izaskun Martí, Marta Goula (2015): Updating data on the sycamore seed bug, Belonochilus numenius (Say, 1832) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) in Spain. Butlletí de la Institució Catalana d'Història Natural 79: 157-163.
- ^ AC Wheeler (1985): Seasonal History, Habits, and Immature Stages of Belonochilus numenius (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 86 (4): 790-796.
