Spilostethus furcula

Spilostethus furcula
	Spilostethus furcula
Systematics
Class :	Insects (Insecta)
Subordination :	Bed bugs (heteroptera)
Family :	Ground bugs (Lygaeidae)
Subfamily :	Lygaeinae
Genre :	Spilostethus
Type :	Spilostethus furcula
Scientific name
	Spilostethus furcula
	( Herrich-Schaeffer , 1850)

Spilostethus furcula is a species in the ground bug family(Lygaeidae).

features

The bugs reach a body length between 9 and 11 millimeters. Spilostethus furcula is one of three species of the genus Spilostethus that occur in Europe. The predominantly red colored bug species has a characteristic black stripe and spot pattern. In particular, the red apical end of the scutellum , which shows a red V with the partially red colored clavus, distinguishes the species from similar bugs. The specific epithet furcula comes from Latin and means roughly "forked". The legs and antennae are black. The membrane is dark brown.

distribution

Spilothetus furcula is an originally Afrotropic species. Since the end of the 20th century, the species spread northward into the western Palearctic . Via the Maghreb , the species reached the southern coastal region of the Iberian Peninsula (the Portuguese Algarve and the coastal strip from Málaga to Castellón de la Plana ) in the early 2000s . Meanwhile, at the end of the 2010s, the distribution area extends along the northern Mediterranean coast from Barcelona to the Côte d'Azur . The species is also found in the Balearic Islands .

Way of life

The following plants are considered to be host and food plants of Spilothetus furcula : the black nightshade ( Solanum nigrum ), the cotton milkweed ( Gomphocarpus fruticosus ) and the common thorn apple ( Datura stramonium ). Other plants that are associated with the species are the common ivy ( Hedera helix ) and ragweeds ( Senecio ). The adults are mainly observed in February, June, July and November.

Taxonomy

The following synonyms can be found in the literature :

Lygaeus furcula Herrich-Schäffer , 1850
Spilostethus furculus

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Luis Vivas: Algunos datos sobre distribución y biología de Spilostethus furcula (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1850) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) y clave para los ligeinos ibéricos . Ed .: Asociacion Fotografia y Biodiversidad, BV news, Puliciaciones Científicas, Artículo November 11, 2012, ISSN 1989-7170 , p. 59–74 (Spanish, researchgate.net [accessed July 15, 2019]).
↑ Marta Goula, Luis Mata: Spilostethus furcula (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1850), primera cita en el NE ibérico, y otros heterópteros interesantes de la región (Heteroptera, Lygaeidae) . Ed .: Nouv. Revue Ent. T. 27, Fasc. 1. Paris June 20, 2011, p. 71-75 (Spanish, researchgate.net [accessed July 15, 2019]).

Web links

Commons : Spilostethus furcula - collection of images, videos and audio files

Spilostethus furcula at Fauna Europaea

[vivas-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Luis Vivas: Algunos datos sobre distribución y biología de Spilostethus furcula (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1850) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) y clave para los ligeinos ibéricos . Ed .: Asociacion Fotografia y Biodiversidad, BV news, Puliciaciones Científicas, Artículo November 11, 2012, ISSN 1989-7170 , p. 59–74 (Spanish, researchgate.net [accessed July 15, 2019]).

[goula-2] Marta Goula, Luis Mata: Spilostethus furcula (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1850), primera cita en el NE ibérico, y otros heterópteros interesantes de la región (Heteroptera, Lygaeidae) . Ed .: Nouv. Revue Ent. T. 27, Fasc. 1. Paris June 20, 2011, p. 71-75 (Spanish, researchgate.net [accessed July 15, 2019]).