Largidae
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Preparation from Lohita grandis |
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| Amyot & Serville , 1843 |
The Largidae are a family of bugs (Heteroptera) within the suborder Pentatomomorpha . Of them, at least 106 species in about 13 genera are known, other researchers count as many as 23 genera and 220 species.
features
The representatives of the Largidae are moderately small to large bugs that are up to 55 millimeters long, have an egg-shaped to elongated body and are often brightly colored in warning colors . Except for those species that imitate the appearance of ants, their antennae and legs are often quite short . The most conspicuous species include the species of the genus Euryophthalmus , which are colored yellow and black or red and black and whose nymphs are completely differently colored metallic blue.
The animals lack point eyes ( ocelli ). Their antennae and labium are four-part. The feelers are deflected below an imaginary line through the compound eyes. The membranes of the hemielytres have basal cells with seven or eight veins extending distally . The olfactory gland openings on the metathorax have receded. On the abdomen, Trichobothria are formed on the third to the seventh sternum , with three scattered on the anterior side and two on the seventh. The seams of the sternas on the abdomen are sometimes fused or indistinct. The ovipositor of the female is slashed (laciniat), her seventh sternum is split in the middle. In the nymphs , the olfactory gland openings on the abdomen are between the third to sixth tergum , with the openings in the first two pairs being receded.
The missing pinpoint eyes, which are otherwise only missing in the fire bugs (Pyrrhocoridae), the complex wing veins and the often overgrown or poorly recognizable seams on the abdomen are characteristic of the family.
Occurrence
The family occurs in all zoogeographical regions , but has its main area of distribution in the tropics and subtropics. Three genera live in the east of the Palearctic . The family does not occur in the Western Palearctic, including Europe.
Way of life
The way of life of the Largidae is only very poorly researched. It is believed that all species of phytophagus suckle on seeds or the juices of plants. Similar to the ground bugs, they live on the ground or, like fire bugs, live on the vegetative parts of perennials, shrubs and trees. The species of a number of genera stand out not only for their striking body shape, but also for their unusual movements. Thaumastaneis montandoni , for example, has a swollen, ant-like head, a heavily constricted abdomen, wings reduced to short stumps and a strong thorn that protrudes laterally at the back of the pronotum. Other genera that look similar to ants or ant wasps (Mutillidae) are Arhaphe , Japetus or Theraneis .
Taxonomy and systematics
Charles Jean Baptiste Amyot & Jean Guillaume Audinet Serville first described the group as a family in 1843. Carl Stål introduced them to the fire bugs as a subfamily in 1870. Many subsequent authors followed this view, until China restored family status in 1954, but the group was closely related to the ground bugs (Lygaeidae). The Largidae are now considered to be closely related to the fire bugs with which they are within the superfamily Pyrrhocoridea .
According to Schaefer (2000) it is divided into the following subfamilies and tribes:
- Subfamily Larginae (New World)
- Subfamily Physopeltinae (Old World)
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Thomas J. Henry: Biodiversity of Heteroptera. In: Robert G. Foottit, Peter H. Adler: Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society . Wiley-Blackwell, New York 2009, ISBN 978-1-4051-5142-9 , pp. 226, 248 .
- ↑ a b Jaroslav L. Stehlik: Review and classification of the Old World genus Physopelta (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Largidae) . In: Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae. Volume 53, No. 2, 2013, pp. 505-584.
- ↑ a b c d Family Largidae. (No longer available online.) Australian Biological Resources Study. Australian Faunal Directory, archived from the original on May 12, 2014 ; accessed on May 8, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c d e f g R. T. Schuh, JA Slater: True Bugs of the World (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Classification and Natural History. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York 1995, pp. 268f.
- ↑ Klaus Voigt: The Palearctic species of Largidae (Heteroptera: Largidae: Physopeltinae) . In: Russian Entomological Journal. 15, No. 2, 2006, pp. 223-225.
literature
- RT Schuh, JA Slater: True Bugs of the World (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Classification and Natural History. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York 1995.
