Integrative taxonomy, phylogenetics and historical biogeography of subgenus Aeschyntelus Stål, 1872 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhopalidae).

The subgenus Aeschyntelus includes six species that show variations in body color and shape, thus making it difficult to identify them based on morphological identification alone. To date, no genetic study has evaluated species within this genus. Herein, we collected 171 individuals from 90 localities of Rhopalus and employed an integrative taxonomic approach that incorporated morphological data, mitochondrial genomic data (COI, whole mitochondrial data) and nuclear genomic data (18S + 28S rRNAs, nuclear genome-wide SNPs) to delineate species boundaries. Our analyses confirmed the status of nine described species of Rhopalus and proposed the recognition of one new species known as Rhopalus qinlinganus sp. nov., which is classified within the subgenus Aeschyntelus. Discrepancies arising from nuclear and mitochondrial data suggest the presence of mito-nuclear discordance. Specifically, mitochondrial data indicated admixture within Clade A, comprising R. kerzhneri and R. latus, whereas genome-wide SNPs unambiguously identified two separate species, aligning with morphological classification. Conversely, mitochondrial data clearly distinguished Clade B- consisting of R. sapporensis into two lineages, whereas genome-wide SNPs unequivocally identified a single species. Our study also provides insights into the evolutionary history of Aeschyntelus, thus indicating that it likely originated in East Asia during the middle Miocene. The development of Aeschyntelus biodiversity in the southwestern mountains of China occurred via an uplift-driven diversification process. Our findings highlight the necessity of integrating both morphological and multiple molecular datasets for precise species identification, particularly when delineating closely related species. Additionally, it reveals the important role of mountain orogenesis on speciation within the southwestern mountains of China.

Heteroptera research in Latin America and the Caribbean (Insecta, Hemiptera): status and perspectives in the 21st century.

Latin American and the Caribbean regions (LAC) harbor one of the most biodiverse areas of the world, the Neotropics. True bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) are a diverse lineage of insects, with more than 45,000 species, particularly speciose in the Neotropical region. True bugs are fundamental in the dynamics of natural and modified ecosystems, with several species critical to agriculture and public health. We compiled Heteroptera research in LAC from 1998-2022 using bibliographic databases. Productivity, collaborative networks, and the main topics studied were analyzed. A total of 1,651 Heteroptera studies from LAC were found, with continuous growth being 2021 the most prolific. Four categories (Taxonomy of extant species, Faunistic inventories and new records, Pest species biology, and Community ecology) represent most of the published research. About 60 percent of the records evaluated correspond to five families (Pentatomidae, Reduviidae, Coreidae, Miridae, and Rhyparochromidae). We emphasize the need to keep working on Heteroptera taxonomy because it will allow further advances in other areas such as phylogenetic analyses, biogeography, ecology, and natural history, among others. The results of our analyses characterize the current state of heteropterology in the region, establishing a baseline for future studies and efforts to broaden the knowledge of the group.

Cooption of the pteridine biosynthesis pathway underlies the diversification of embryonic colors in water striders.

Naturalists have been fascinated for centuries by animal colors and color patterns. While widely studied at the adult stage, we know little about color patterns in the embryo. Here, we study a trait consisting of coloration that is specific to the embryo and absent from postembryonic stages in water striders (Gerromorpha). By combining developmental genetics with chemical and phylogenetic analyses across a broad sample of species, we uncovered the mechanisms underlying the emergence and diversification of embryonic colors in this group of insects. We show that the pteridine biosynthesis pathway, which ancestrally produces red pigment in the eyes, has been recruited during embryogenesis in various extraocular tissues including antennae and legs. In addition, we discovered that this cooption is common to all water striders and initially resulted in the production of yellow extraocular color. Subsequently, 6 lineages evolved bright red color and 2 lineages lost the color independently. Despite the high diversity in colors and color patterns, we show that the underlying biosynthesis pathway remained stable throughout the 200 million years of Gerromorpha evolutionary time. Finally, we identified erythropterin and xanthopterin as the pigments responsible for these colors in the embryo of various species. These findings demonstrate how traits can emerge through the activation of a biosynthesis pathway in new developmental contexts.

Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), genome: putative underpinnings of polyphagy, insecticide resistance potential and biology of a top worldwide pest.

BACKGROUND: Halyomorpha halys (Stål), the brown marmorated stink bug, is a highly invasive insect species due in part to its exceptionally high levels of polyphagy. This species is also a nuisance due to overwintering in human-made structures. It has caused significant agricultural losses in recent years along the Atlantic seaboard of North America and in continental Europe. Genomic resources will assist with determining the molecular basis for this species' feeding and habitat traits, defining potential targets for pest management strategies. RESULTS: Analysis of the 1.15-Gb draft genome assembly has identified a wide variety of genetic elements underpinning the biological characteristics of this formidable pest species, encompassing the roles of sensory functions, digestion, immunity, detoxification and development, all of which likely support H. halys' capacity for invasiveness. Many of the genes identified herein have potential for biomolecular pesticide applications. CONCLUSIONS: Availability of the H. halys genome sequence will be useful for the development of environmentally friendly biomolecular pesticides to be applied in concert with more traditional, synthetic chemical-based controls.

Stenodema longicuneata (Carvalho and Rosas, 1966) (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae) in Patagonia: redescription, new synonym and geographic distribution.

The genus Stenodema Laporte, 1832 is a group of grass-feeding plant bugs worldwide distributed, with five species recorded for the Subantarctic sub-region (sunsu Morrone 2015). Males of Stenodema longicuneata (Carvalho and Rosas, 1966) are redescribed and photographed. Stenodema laolaoensis (Carvalho, 1985) is proposed as a junior synonym of S. longicuneata. New geographic records are provided and distributional and biogeographic issues are discussed.

Compositional and mutational rate heterogeneity in mitochondrial genomes and its effect on the phylogenetic inferences of Cimicomorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial genome (mt-genome) data can potentially return artefactual relationships in the higher-level phylogenetic inference of insects due to the biases of accelerated substitution rates and compositional heterogeneity. Previous studies based on mt-genome data alone showed a paraphyly of Cimicomorpha (Insecta, Hemiptera) due to the positions of the families Tingidae and Reduviidae rather than the monophyly that was supported based on morphological characters, morphological and molecular combined data and large scale molecular datasets. Various strategies have been proposed to ameliorate the effects of potential mt-genome biases, including dense taxon sampling, removal of third codon positions or purine-pyrimidine coding and the use of site-heterogeneous models. In this study, we sequenced the mt-genomes of five additional Tingidae species and discussed the compositional and mutational rate heterogeneity in mt-genomes and its effect on the phylogenetic inferences of Cimicomorpha by implementing the bias-reduction strategies mentioned above. RESULTS: Heterogeneity in nucleotide composition and mutational biases were found in mt protein-coding genes, and the third codon exhibited high levels of saturation. Dense taxon sampling of Tingidae and Reduviidae and the other common strategies mentioned above were insufficient to recover the monophyly of the well-established group Cimicomorpha. When the sites with weak phylogenetic signals in the dataset were removed, the remaining dataset of mt-genomes can support the monophyly of Cimicomorpha; this support demonstrates that mt-genomes possess strong phylogenetic signals for the inference of higher-level phylogeny of this group. Comparison of the ratio of the removal of amino acids for each PCG showed that ATP8 has the highest ratio while CO1 has the lowest. This pattern is largely congruent with the evolutionary rate of 13 PCGs that ATP8 represents the highest evolutionary rate, whereas CO1 appears to be the lowest. Notably, the value of Ka/Ks ratios of all PCGs is less than 1, indicating that these genes are likely evolving under purifying selection. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that mt-genomes have sites with strong phylogenetic signals for the inference of higher-level phylogeny of Cimicomorpha. Consequently, bioinformatic approaches to removing sites with weak phylogenetic signals in mt-genome without relying on an a priori tree topology would greatly improve this field.

The genome of the water strider Gerris buenoi reveals expansions of gene repertoires associated with adaptations to life on the water.

BACKGROUND: Having conquered water surfaces worldwide, the semi-aquatic bugs occupy ponds, streams, lakes, mangroves, and even open oceans. The diversity of this group has inspired a range of scientific studies from ecology and evolution to developmental genetics and hydrodynamics of fluid locomotion. However, the lack of a representative water strider genome hinders our ability to more thoroughly investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the processes of adaptation and diversification within this group. RESULTS: Here we report the sequencing and manual annotation of the Gerris buenoi (G. buenoi) genome; the first water strider genome to be sequenced thus far. The size of the G. buenoi genome is approximately 1,000 Mb, and this sequencing effort has recovered 20,949 predicted protein-coding genes. Manual annotation uncovered a number of local (tandem and proximal) gene duplications and expansions of gene families known for their importance in a variety of processes associated with morphological and physiological adaptations to a water surface lifestyle. These expansions may affect key processes associated with growth, vision, desiccation resistance, detoxification, olfaction and epigenetic regulation. Strikingly, the G. buenoi genome contains three insulin receptors, suggesting key changes in the rewiring and function of the insulin pathway. Other genomic changes affecting with opsin genes may be associated with wavelength sensitivity shifts in opsins, which is likely to be key in facilitating specific adaptations in vision for diverse water habitats. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that local gene duplications might have played an important role during the evolution of water striders. Along with these findings, the sequencing of the G. buenoi genome now provides us the opportunity to pursue exciting research opportunities to further understand the genomic underpinnings of traits associated with the extreme body plan and life history of water striders.

Genetic barcoding and phylogenetic analysis of dusky cotton bug (Oxycarenus hyalinipennis) using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene.

Cotton dusky bug (Oxycarenus spp.) mostly attack on cash crops such as Gossypium, Cola and Hibiscus which affect the national economy therefore sustainable pest management is needed. Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene is utilized as marker gene for DNA barcoding, genetic and ecological study of insects. In present study insect (cotton dusky bug) samples were collected from cotton fields in Faisalabad. COI gene was amplified from genomic DNA of bug and cloned into pTZ57R/T vector (Fermentas). The clone was sent to Macrogen (South Korea) for Sanger sequencing. The phylogenetic analysis and pairwise multiple sequence alignment showed that our cotton dusky bug grouped with two species of Oxycarenus genus and highest sequence identity was 91.1% with Oxycarenus hylinipennis. This is the first report of genetic barcode of Oxycarenus hylinipennis from cotton from Pakistan.

A New Approach to Chromosomal Evolution in the Giant Water Bug (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae).

The genus Belostoma, known colloquially as "giant water bugs," presents striking cytogenetic diversity and extensive chromosome variability. Notwithstanding, its karyotype evolution is not well understood. We analyzed 8 species of Belostoma (77 samples). The meiotic analysis revealed 2n = 14 + XY for Belostoma horvathi and Belostoma candidulum; 2n = 22 + XY for Belostoma cummings; 2n = 26 + X1X2Y for Belostoma dentatum, Belostoma elongatum, and Belostoma discretum; and 2n = 26 + X1X2X3Y for Belostoma testacopallidum and Belostoma dilatatum. All species showed holokinetic chromosomes. Based on heterochromatin distribution patterns and 18S rDNA, the species of the genus Belostoma were separated into four groups. The analysis of C0t-1 DNA showed that the repetitive DNA, partly composed of microsatellite DNA, was absent on the Y chromosome. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using a microdissected X chromosome in species with simple sex system presents uniform hybridization in the nuclear region corresponding to the X chromosome. Species with multiple systems revealed discrete markings. The present data in conjunction with the existing literature led us to propose a new evolutionary hypothesis for the group, with an ancestral karyotype with a low diploid number, simple sex determination system, and nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) on the sex chromosomes. That karyotype would have originated other karyotypes through agmatoploidy, simploidy, heterochromatinization, and movement of the 18S rDNA.

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.

Biogeography and areas of endemism of Prepops Reuter (Heteroptera: Miridae).

The Miridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) are one of the most species rich families of insects, with about 11 100 described species. Mirinae is the largest subfamily and its endemism becomes evident at the tribal level and below. Mirines of the tribe Restheniini are found throughout America, with most of the diversity confined to the Neotropics. Prepops Reuter is the largest genus in Restheniini with 198 described species and its geographi- cal range is similar to that of the tribe. The study of the distribution and areas of endemism in Miridae are scarce and non-existent for Prepops. We analyzed all the geographic records of Prepops (707 records for 181 species) in order to identify diversity patterns and areas of endemism, using network analysis. Locality data were assigned using museum specimens and geographic records in the literature. Additionally we used spatial data to propose habitat preferences and geoclimatic variables important for each group of co-occurring species. The results indicate high species richness in subtropical regions, while the tropical belt and high latitudes appear impover- ished. The Neotropical region contains 86% of the species, and the Nearctic about 11 % (but with larger species ranges); the Andean region is sparingly represented. Twenty-three areas of endemism (and two diads), formed by 2 or more endemic species, are distributed in the Nearctic (3), Mexican Transition Zone and Caribbean sub- region (5), South American Transition Zone and Amazonian, Chacoan and Paranaense subregions (15). Overlap between some of the areas indicates regions with high species richness and complex history. The lack of records from the Andean region (except for P. nigrus in Southern Patagonia) and dominance of strictly Neotropical spe- cies (86 %) supports the hypothesis of a Neotropical origin for the tribe Restheniini. The general arrangement of the units of co-occurrence of Prepops species shows a close correlation with known biogeographic regions and subregions. Broad physiographic characteristics most commonly associated with Prepops geographical records are, in order of importance: broad leaf forests (wet and dry), grasslands and xeric habitats.

New records of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from Colombia.

New records of genera and species of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from Colombia are provided. Two genera are new records for South America: Alathetus and Schraderiellus. Fifteen genera are new record for Colombia: Agaclitus, Boea, Ceratozygum, Euthyrhynchus, Eritrachys, Doesburguedessa, Lopadusa, Marmessulus, Paralincus, Patanius, Peromatus, Phalaecus, Phoeacia, Rio, and Tyrannocoris. Forty-nine species from five subfamiles are recorded for the first time in Colombia. Asopinae: Coryzorhaphis carneolus Erichson, Coryzorhaphis superba Breddin, Euthyrhynchus floridanus (Linnaeus), Podisus sagitta Fabricius, Stiretrus anchorago (Fabricius), Stiretrus cinctellus Germar, Tylospilus peruvianus Horvath, Tyrannocoris nigriceps Thomas. Cyrtocorinae: Ceratozygum horridum (Germar). Discocephalinae: Agaclitus dromedarius Stål, Antiteuchus melanoleucus (Westwood), Antiteuchus sepulcralis (Fabricius), Dinocoris gibbosus (Fallou), Dinocoris variolosus (Linnaeus), Discocephalessa terminalis (Walker), Dryptocephala crenata Ruckes, Dryptocephala dentifrons (Latreille), Eurystethus ovalis Ruckes, Paralcippus dimidiatus (Ruckes), Alathetus rufitarsus Dallas, Eritrachys bituberculata Ruckes, Paralincus bimaculatus (Ruckes), Schraderiellus cinctus (Ruckes), Xynocoris recavus (Garbelotto & Campos). Edessinae: Brachystethus cribus (Fabricius), Brachystethus tricolor Bolívar, Doesburguedessa elongatispina Fernandes and Lopadusa fuscopunctata (Distant). Pentatominae: Banasa fulgida Thomas, Banasa paraexpallescens Thomas, Dichelops divisus (Walker), Dichelops nigrum Bergroth, Euschistus carbonerus Rolston, Mormidea bovilla (Distant), Mormidea triangularis (Walker), Murgantia bifasciata Herrich-Schaeffer, Murgantia violascens (Westwood), Oebalus pugnax (Fabricius), Oebalus ypsilon-griseus (DeGeer), Odmalea concolor (Walker), Patanius vittatus Rolston, Proxys albopunctulatus (Palisot), Proxys punctulatus (Palisot), Rhyncholepta grandicallosa Bergroth, Rio insularis Ruckes, Roferta marginalis (Herrich-Schäffer), Serdia concolor Ruckes, Sibaria armata (Dallas) and Taurocerus achilles (Stål). These new records for Colombia are importanst for the understanding of the distributional range of the genera and species involved.

Two new species of Rhagovelia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from Costa Rica, with a key and new records from the country.

Rhagovelia danpolhemi sp. nov., from the Caribbean Slope of Costa Rica and R. springerae sp. nov., from the northern portion of the country, are described, illustrated, compared with similar species, and included in a key to species recorded from the country. Rhagovelia calopa Drake & Harris, R. spinosa Gould, and R. tantilla Drake & Harris are recorded for the first time from Costa Rica. New provincial records are provided for R. acuminata Bacon, R. angustipes Uhler, R. armata (Burmeister), R. bisignata Bacon, R. crassipes Champion, R. elegans Uhler, R. femoralis Champion, R. solida Bacon, R. spinigera Champion, R. tenuipes Champion, and R. uncinata Champion. Additional distributional information is given for these species and for R. formosa Bacon and R. scabra Bacon.

Checklist, distribution, and a new record of Nepomorphan water bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) in northern Tunisia.

We report on the results of a survey of the Nepomorpha of northern Tunisia, and list twenty-three species belonging to twelve genera and seven families: Nepidae, Ochteridae, Corixidae, Micronectidae, Naucoridae, Notonectidae, and Pleidae. These records are based on intensive field surveys during the year 2013 and examination of the entomological collections of the National Museum Natural History of Paris. Ranatra linearis (Linnaeus, 1758) is recorded for the first time from Tunisia. The occurrence of Sigara (Halicorixa) stagnalis stagnalis (Leach, 1817) in Tunisia is confirmed. A preliminary checklist of the Nepomorpha of Northern Tunisia and updated distribution maps for all species treated are provided for further studies.

Type specimens of Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) collected from North Korea and adjacent regions deposited at Insect Collections of Chungnam National University (CNU) in Daejeon, Republic of Korea.

A list of type specimens of Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) collected from North Korea (mostly by the late Dr. Michail Josifov, Sofia, Bulgaria) acquired earlier by E. Heiss, now donated to and deposited in the insect collections of Chungnam National University (CNU), Deajeon, Korea, is presented. A total of 31 holotypes and 694 paratypes of 41 species and 1 subspecies in 6 families and 9 subfamilies are presented: Miridae (Deraeocorinae, Mirinae, Orthotylinae, Phylinae), Tingidae (Tinginae), Piesmatidae (Piesmatinae), Berytidae (Metacanthinae), Cymidae (Cyminae), Pentatomidae (Asopinae).

Review of Hydrometra gracilenta Horváth, 1899 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Hydrometridae) in Italy, with notes on its general distribution.

An annotated review of the known Italian distribution of Hydrometra gracilenta Horváth, 1899 is provided, plus unpublished data including a new record which increases the previously known range of the species in Italy. An updated map shows the currently known distribution of the taxon in Italy. An overlooked nomenclatural change is discussed, and the date of description for the genus Hydrometra Lateille is corrected from 1796 to 1797. The presence of H. gracilenta is excluded from Egypt, Sudan, and Rwanda.

New species and notes on Microveliinae from northern South America (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae).

Euvelia mazzucconiae sp. nov., from northern Colombia is described, illustrated, and included in an updated identification key to the species of the genus. A map with the known geographical distribution of the species of Euvelia is presented. Additionally, two species from Colombia previously placed in the genus Paravelia are transferred to Microvelia and a species of the latter genus is synonymized, such that Paravelia acantha Padilla-Gil, 2013 = Microvelia acantha (Padilla-Gil, 2013) comb. nov., Paravelia fanera Padilla-Gil, 2013 = Microvelia fanera (Padilla-Gil, 2013) comb. nov., and Microvelia amrishi Makhan 2014 = Microvelia mimula White 1879 syn. nov.

Further records and descriptions of the plant bug subfamily Phylinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) from Thailand.

Eleven new species of the plant bug subfamily Phylinae are described: Campylomma koraticola, C. nanna, C. pimai, C. salaciella, Cleotomiris levigatus, Cl. sakaeratensis, Cl. similissimus, Decomia anthophila, Malaysiamiris nigrescens, Rubrocuneocoris anandros and Sejanus adustopaca. In addition, Campylomma chitwanensis, which described originally from southeastern Nepal, is confirmed in Thailand and diagnosed, and the female is documented for the first time as well. Photographic images of live individuals are figured for most new species, and those for C. chitwanensis and Decomia taksini are presented for the first time. An annotated checklist of all currently known taxa including new distributional records, also from neighboring Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, is provided. Some additional photographic images are also presented for little known taxa. The genus Artchawakomius Yasunaga of the tribe Hallodapini is proposed to place in Leucophoropterini. And furthermore, a Chinese species, Rubrocuneocoris lanceus Li & Liu, is transferred to Atractotomoidea Yasunaga.

Types of true bugs (Insecta, Hemiptera, Heteroptera) deposited in the Museo de La Plata, Argentina.

A checklist of Heteroptera type specimens deposited in the collection of División Entomología, Museo de La Plata. It harbours type material of 1153 species belonging to 37 families (Enicocephalidae, Schizopteridae, Gerridae, Veliidae, Hydrometridae, Naucoridae, Belostomatidae, Nepidae, Corixidae, Notonectidae, Pleidae, Saldidae, Cimicidae, Polyctenidae, Nabidae, Miridae, Tingidae, Vianaididae, Thaumastocoridae, Reduviidae, Aradidae, Alydidae, Coreidae, Rhopalidae, Berytidae, Blissidae, Lygaeidae, Oxycarenidae, Rhyparochromidae, Idiostolidae, Largidae, Pyrrhocoridae, Anthocoridae, Cydnidae, Pentatomidae, Scutelleridae, Thyreocoridae), represented by 207 holotypes, 26 allotypes, 578 paratypes, 1 lectotype, 1 paralectotype and 340 syntypes. For each taxon providing update information on valid names, categories of types, and locality.

Review of the genus Vertomannus Distant (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Rhyparochromidae: Ozophorini), with description of two new species.

The ozophorine genus Vertomannus Distant, 1903 is reviewed in this paper. Ten species are recognized in the genus, including two new species, Vertomannus parvus sp. nov. and Vertomannus tibetanus sp. nov. The new species are described and illustrated. A key to all known members is included. Diagnosis of the genus, habitus photos, measurements, male genitalia illustrations, additional distributions are also presented.