Stiretrus anchorago
| Stiretrus anchorago | ||||||||||||
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Stiretrus anchorago |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Stiretrus anchorago | ||||||||||||
| ( Fabricius , 1775) |
Stiretrus anchorago is a Wanzenart from the family of stink bugs (Pentatomidae).
features
The bugs become 7–11 mm long. The pronotum has rounded corners. Striking is the great wide oval shaped tag (scutellum). There is a thorn on the underside of the femora (thigh) of the front pair of legs. The proboscis (rostrum) is like many bedbugs of the subfamily Asopinae more than twice as thick as the antennae . The species comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns: iridescent blue, green or purple. There are also orange, red or cream-colored specimens with black patterns. The coloration is not gender dependent. The typical pattern in the lower area of the scutellum is reminiscent of an anchor. The bug species is called Anchor Bug . In terms of body weight and size, the females exceed the males.
Occurrence
Stiretrus anchorago occurs in eastern North America and Central America.
Way of life
The bugs predatory feed on beetle larvae and butterfly caterpillars. Their prey spectrum is broad and includes various pests . These include the Mexican bean beetle ( Epilachna varivestis ), Chrysodeixis includens (moth on soybeans), Eurema nicippe , Hypera postica (weevil on alfalfa) and the Colorado potato beetle ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata ). For this reason, the bug species is considered a suitable means of biological pest control .
The female of Stiretrus anchorago lays her eggs in two rows, the clutch size being a maximum of 30. The bug goes through five nymph stages. The complete development period starting with the oviposition is 32–35 days.
Enemies
Cylindromyia fumipennis , a species of caterpillar fly in the Tachinidae family, is considered a parasitoid of Stiretrus anchorago . A decimation of the population of Stiretrus anchorago would have a negative effect on its effectiveness as a beneficial insect .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e University of Florida: Featured Creature - Stiretrus anchorago
- ↑ a b NC State University, Dept. of Entomology, Biological Control Information Center
- ↑ www.discoverlife.org
- ↑ a b www.americaninsects.net ( Memento of the original from August 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) 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.
Web links
- NC State University, Dept. of Entomology, Biological Control Information Center - Photos of Imago and Nymph