Jose Antonio Marin Fernandes

Stink Bugs (Pentatomidae)

The Pentatomidae, representing the fourth largest family within Heteroptera, are one of the most diverse groups with about 800 genera and more than 4,700 species in the world. In the Neotropics, about 230 genera and 1,400 species are included in seven subfamilies of the world’s nine subfamilies; four subfamilies are exclusively of the Neotropics. In this chapter, for each subfamily, a diagnosis, an overview of the classification, and information on life history, ecology, and economic importance are given. Comprehensive keys and diagnosis to the subfamilies, tribes, and genera for the Neotropical Region, including Mexico, Central and South America, and the West Indies, are also given.

Leaf-Footed Bugs (Coreidae)

The family Coreidae is distributed worldwide, but these phytophagous bugs are most abundant in the tropics and subtropics. In the Neotropical region, all of the subfamilies and 16 tribes are represented. In tropical ecosystems, these bugs feed on herbs and shrubs in open areas of forests as well as at the forest edge. Some species are spectacularly colored, and unusual expansions of antennae, humeral angles, femora, or tibiae occur in many groups. Some of them move lazily even when disturbed and hardly fly to escape; others are extremely nimble, fast flying away when disturbed. They are frequently encountered in crops, representing important pests in several commodities. No one common name is universally accepted for the family, and none of the frequently used names (e.g., squash bug, leatherbug, leaf-footed bug, Randwanzen) are collectively appropriate for all members of the family.

Symbiont polyphyly, co-evolution, and necessity in pentatomid stinkbugs from Costa Rica

Interdomain symbioses with bacteria allow insects to take advantage of underutilized niches and provide the foundation for their evolutionary success in neotropical ecosystems. The gut microbiota of 13 micro-allopatric tropical pentatomid species, from a Costa Rican lowland rainforest, was characterized and compared with insect and host plant phylogenies. Like other families within the Pentatomomorpha, these insects (within seven genera—Antiteuchus, Arvelius, Edessa, Euschistus, Loxa, Mormidea, and Sibaria) house near-monocultures of gamma-proteobacteria in midgut crypts, comprising three distinct lineages within the family Enterobacteriaceae. Identity of the dominant bacteria (78–100% of the recovered 16S rRNA genes) was partially congruent with insect phylogeny, at the level of subfamily and tribe, with bacteria closely related to Erwinia observed in six species of the subfamily Pentatominae, and bacteria in a novel clade of Enterobacteriaceae for seven species within the subfamilies Edessinae and Discocephalinae. Symbiont replacement (i.e., bacterial “contamination” from the environment) may occur during maternal transmission by smearing of bacteria onto the egg surfaces during oviposition. This transmission strategy was experimentally confirmed for Sibaria englemani, and suspected for four species from two subfamilies, based on observation of egg probing by nymphs. Symbiont-deprived S. englemani, acquired via egg surface sterilization, exhibited significantly extended second instars (9.1 days compared with 7.9 days for symbiotic nymphs; p = 0.0001, Wilcoxons rank with Bonferroni correction), slower linearized growth rates (p = 0.005, Welch 2-sample t-test), and qualitative differences in ceca morphology, including increased translucency of crypts, elongation of extracellular cavities, and distribution of symbionts, compared to symbiotic nymphs. Combined, these results suggest a role of the symbiont in host development, the reliable transference of symbionts via egg surfaces, and a suggestion of co-evolution between symbiont and tropical pentatomid host insects.

Revisão do gênero Antiteuchus Dallas (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae, Discocephalinae)

Revision of the genus Antiteuchus Dallas (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae, Discocephalinae). The genus Antiteuchus Dallas, 1851 composed of 46 species is revised. The genus and the known species are redescribed based on the male external genital structure and some external characteristics of the body. The supraspecific structure is refused and Neodine Kirkaldy, 1909 is considered synonymous of Antiteuchus. The species are split among six new groups here proposed: A. amplus, A. supinatus, A. peruensis, A. tesselatus, A. marmoratus and A. mixtus. Eight new species are described: A. amapensis sp. nov., A. beckerae sp. nov., A. doesburgi sp. nov., A. exiguus sp. nov., A. ledeburi sp. nov., A. marini sp. nov., A. melanicus sp. nov. and A. similis sp. nov. Nine species and one subspecies are synonymized. Antiteuchus varians Ruckes, 1964 is considered a junior synonym of A. pallescens Stal, 1868; A. englemani Rolston, 1993 of A. amplus (Walker, 1867); A. tripterus limbativentris Ruckes, 1964 and A. minor Engleman, 1983 of A. tripterus (Fabricius, 1787); A. fuscus (Ruckes, 1959), A. piceus (Palisot de Beauvois, 1805), A. subgibbus Engleman, 1983, A. subimpunctatus Ruckes, 1964, A. unicolor (Westwood, 1837) and A. variolosus (Westwood, 1837) of A. mixtus (Fabricius, 1787). Antiteuchus tatei (Ruckes, 1958) is considered species inquirenda. Empicoris marmoreus Spinola, 1837 is considered incertae sedis and species inquirenda. The male of A. pictus, so far unknown, is described. Identification keys for the males of the species of Antiteuchus as well as for the species groups are presented.

Caracterização do grupo Edessa rufomarginata e descrição de sete novas espécies (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae, Edessinae)

Caracterization of the group Edessa rufomarginata and description of seven new species (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae, Edessinae). The Edessa group rufomarginata is proposed to include E. rufomarginata (De Geer, 1773), E. marginalis (Dallas, 1851), E. albomarginata (Stal, 1855), E. abdominalis Erichson, 1848, E. corallipes Erichson, 1848, E. aulacosterna Stal, 1872, E. ovalis Stal, 1872, and E. nigropunctata Berg, 1884. Seven new species are described in this group, six from Brazil and one from Argentina: E. brasiliensis sp. nov., E. castaneolineata sp. nov., E. cerradensis sp. nov., E. chapadensis sp. nov., E. luteovenulata sp. nov., E. rufodorsata sp. nov. (Argentina) and E. virididorsata sp. nov. These species are known from Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

Variações morfológicas em Edessa rufomarginata e revalidação de E. albomarginata e E. marginalis (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae, Edessinae)

Morphological variants in Edessa rufomarginata and revalidation of E. albomarginata and E. marginalis (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae, Edessinae). Based on the types of Edessa rufomarginata (De Geer, 1773) and its synonyms, on morphology of the paramere and coloration, seven patterns are described for E. rufomarginata. Pentatoma furcata Palisot de Beauvois, 1805, Cimex cruentus Fabricius, 1775, Aceratodes flavovirens Stal, 1855 and A. flavomarginatus Stal, 1855 are mantained as junior synonyms of E. rufomarginata. A. albomarginatus Stal, 1855 and A. marginalis Dallas, 1951 are removed from the synonymy of E. rufomarginata and are reinstated in Edessa. Aceratodes discolor Dallas, 1951 is removed from the synonymy of E. rufomarginata and is considered junior synonym of Edessa abdominalis Erichson, 1848.

Chromosomal evolutionary dynamics of four multigene families in Coreidae and Pentatomidae (Heteroptera) true bugs.

Previous chromosome mapping of multigene families in Pentatomomorpha (Heteroptera) insects, which was restricted to the major rDNA, revealed remarkable conservation of number of clusters and chromosomal positions. Aiming to understand the chromosomal organization and evolutionary patterns of multigene families in karyotypes of Heteroptera, we performed a chromosomal mapping using four distinct multigene families in representatives of Coreidae (ten species) and Pentatomidae (five species). A single pair of the major rDNA cluster (18S rDNA probe) and a single pair of the minor rDNA cluster (5S rDNA probe), both terminally located were primarily observed, being, in most species, located in distinct chromosomes. However, some alternative patterns were also observed. In species in which the U2 snDNA and H4 gene clusters were mapped, they were mainly located in one autosomal pair each, wherein the H4 gene cluster was located in different positions. Our data suggest that the karyotype diversity reported in Coreidae is not reflected in the distribution diversity of multigene families. This contrasts with the data for Pentatomidae, with a conserved gross karyotype but a discrete diversity in the location of the clusters of multigene families, indicating genome dynamics for these markers. The findings are discussed to shed light on the possible causes for the conservation or variation observed and to assist in understanding the chromosomal evolutionary trends in the group.

The Minute Litter Bugs (Dipsocoromorpha)

Dipsocoromorpha, the minute litter bugs, are the putatively least known infraorder of true bugs. Despite their astounding morphology, the small size and cryptic habits of Dipsocoromorpha have resulted in limited curated museum collections. Few specialists have focused on this group. In the Neotropical and elsewhere region, Ceratocombidae, Dipsocoridae, and Schizopteridae are represented by ca. 120 described species in 22 genera. The true diversity in the Neotropics, but also the tropics of the Old World, is clearly much larger than this number.

New species of Edessa Fabricius, 1803 (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from Costa Rica

The edessines from Costa Rica are little known; only 18 species have been registered or described from this country so far. Mainly based in a large sample from Instituto Nacional de Biodiverdidad (INBio), Costa Rica, we decided to update the information concerning Edessinae from Costa Rica. We present a list of species from Costa Rica raising the number of known species from Costa Rica to 65. We are also describing nine new species: Edessa bella Fernandes & Silva, E. bruneolineata Fernandes & Correia, E. curvata Fernandes & Nunes, E. lewisi Fernandes & Silva, E. nigroangulata Fernandes & Silva, E. osae Fernandes & Nunes, E. oxcarti Fernandes & Correia, E. pallidoangulata Fernandes & Nunes and E. puravida Fernandes & Correia. Species were described, illustrated and photographed. Distribution maps for the species are also provided.

Revision of Ascra with proposition of the bifida species group and description of two new species (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Edessinae)

Edessa is comprised of six subgenera, Aceratodes, Ascra, Dorypleura, Edessa, Hypoxys and Pygoda. Ascra is here elevated to genus status based on characteristics of the male and female genitalia and the gibbous pronotum. This genus is comprised of eight species previously placed in Edessa-E. bifida, E. cordifera, E. petersii, E. abdita, E. championi, E. privata, E. conspersa and E. morbosa, as well as six new species. The genus Ascra was further divided into two groups of species bifida and privata separated by a different pattern of punctuation on body and pygophore. Here we present only the bifida species group formed by A. bifida, A. cordifera, A. petersii, A. abdita, and A. championi, as well as two new species-A. vluteum and A. flavoscutellata. Lectotypes of Aceratodes sigillatus, Edessa abdita, E. championi, E. cornuta, E. densata and E. petersii are designated. Aceratodes sigillatus, Edessa cornuta, E. densata, E. picata, and E. florida are considered junior synonyms of A. bifida. Interestingly, some species of this genus are considered edible in Mexico.