Catacanthus incarnatus
| Catacanthus incarnatus | ||||||||||||
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Catacanthus incarnatus |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Catacanthus incarnatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Drury , 1773) |
Catacanthus incarnatus is occurring in Asia Bug (Heteroptera) from the family of stink bugs (Pentatomidae).
features
The bugs reach a length of 25 to 30 mm millimeters and have a shield-like body shape. The head is small and shiny green in color. The majority of imagines are pronotum and the large scutellum yellow. The corium of the forewings is also yellow, the membrane black. The hind wings are gray-brown, membranous and membrane-like. The edges of the abdomen show alternating light and dark blue stripes. There are two large black spots on the corium and, as a rule, two more on the scutellum. Down the head, the pattern looks like a person's face, which is why the species is referred to in English as a man-faced stink bug (bug with a human face). Legs and antennae are black. Sometimes there are other color variants that show the basic colors orange, red or white-yellow. The bright colors and the spots are to be understood as a warning to potential predators.
Occurrence and habitat
Catacanthus incarnatus is widespread in India , Pakistan , Sri Lanka , Myanmar , Malaysia , Japan and Korea and populates there primarily open forests and fruit tree plantations, where it sometimes occurs as an agricultural pest .
Way of life
Catacanthus incarnatus is a polyphagous species and often occurs in clusters of 300, occasionally up to 500 specimens on individual trees, for example on cashew trees ( Anacardium occidentale ). The bugs suck the juice out of the cashew apples, weakening them and infecting them with fruit flies and microbes. This prevents the further development of the fruit and the harvesting of the nuts. In the Indian state of Karnataka this resulted in considerable crop damage. Also olive trees ( Olea ), for example Olea dioica be attacked. A stay of the adults at flame trees ( Delonix regia ) was reported from Maharashtra .
Trivia
A photo was published in the press in which the photographer believes he recognizes a resemblance of Catacanthus incarnatus to the face and hairstyle of Elvis Presley and was fascinated by it or ' all shook up ' , which gives him a further connection to the Rock singer who once landed a number one hit with this title. Such comparisons are scientifically worthless, but have the positive side effect that a broad audience suddenly becomes interested in this otherwise rather unknown small bug species.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information at Encyclopedia of Life
- ↑ Daily Mail, September 27, 2012, Mark Prigg: Photographer finds bug with Elvis Presley's face
Web links
- scientificamerican - color variations at Scientific America