Leptoglossus zonatus
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Leptoglossus zonatus in Lemon Grove , California |
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| Leptoglossus zonatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Dallas , 1852) |
Leptoglossus zonatus is an American species of the border bugs (Coreidae). It occurs from the south of the USA (including Arizona , California , Florida , Louisiana and Texas ) over Mexico and Central America to the south of Brazil . The species is considered a pest on various cultivated plants such as citrus fruits or cotton .
features
The adult animals are 19 to 21 millimeters long. Their basic color consists of a spectrum of various brown tones. The animals have transverse, white zigzag lines on their hemielytres and two larger yellowish dots on the prothorax , which represent a taxonomic distinguishing feature from other Leptoglossus species. Flat, oak-leaf-like extensions on the tibia of the rear pair of legs are also characteristic. The nymphs have an orange to reddish brown basic color. Their legs are black and in the first stages do not yet have any oak leaf-like extensions.
Way of life
According to experiences from Louisiana, the animals are spotted all year round. However, they are more common in the warmer months. The animals often form groups regardless of their stage of development. Presumably this is triggered by specific aggregation pheromones . The bugs also have various other pheromones that are used for defense (alarm pheromones) or to identify possible host plants (marker pheromones).
Leptoglossus zonatus is a polyphagous species of bug. It sucks, for example, on fruits and seeds of cotton , citrus plants , many nightshade plants such as tomatoes or eggplants , cucurbits , avocado plants and cereals . To do this, they stab the fruit with their mouthparts and let toxic digestive juices into it. They can also serve as hosts of the Nematospora coryli fungus . As a result of the bite and the possible simultaneous contamination by other diseases, the fruits or seeds die in the development phase or later show less substance or develop stained areas on their surface.
development
The animals lay on small stalks or leaf veins an average of 1.47 millimeters long, light green, cylindrical eggs, which turn brown over time. The eggs have a round thickening on one side, which the nymphs use as an exit point. The eggs are laid in a chain of up to 50 pieces (but on average about 15 pieces) along stems or leaf veins. After hatching, the bugs go through five nymph stages. The nymphs develop under ideal conditions in around 30 days. The approximate life expectancy of the animals is 70 days for females and 55 days for males.
Combat
As a pest, this bug is fought with various insecticides or alternative biological agents, such as pathogenic fungi or parasites.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e C. W. Schaefer and AR Panizzi: Heteroptera of Economic Importance . CRC Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8493-0695-7 . Page 369.
- ↑ a b c d e f University of Florida, IFAS: Featured Creatures, common name: western leaffooted bug, scientific name: Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coreidae) . Retrieved January 21, 2014
- ↑ Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Pest Alerts - Leptoglossus Zonatus - A New Leaffooted Bug In Florida ( Memento of the original from February 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved January 21, 2014.
