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.

Over 170 years later: redescription of the genus Glyphuchus Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Discocephalinae), with the first description of the male.

The rare Neotropical Discocephalini (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) monotypic genus Glyphuchus Stål, 1860 and its type species Glyphuchus sculpturatus Stål, 1860 are known only from the female holotype. Here, they are redescribed based on a recently collected specimen and on the holotype. The male of the genus is described for the first time based on a specimen collected in a protected area of the Atlantic Rain Forest, in southeastern Brazil. General morphology and male and female genitalia are described and compared to those of other Discocephalini genera. Photos of the main morphological characters are presented, as well as photos of the living and preserved specimens. The relevance of protected areas for studies on biodiversity and natural history is highlighted.

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) of Colombia: An annotated checklist of species.

A checklist of 5 subfamilies, 108 genera, and 246 species of stinks bugs (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) from Colombia is provided. Three genera [Andrallus Bergroth, Placocoris Mayr, and Pseudobebaeus Distant], and eight species [Arocera spectabilis (Drury), Andrallus spinidens (Fabricius), Banasa excavata Thomas, Banasa saileri Thomas, Banasa varians Stl, Chinavia scutellata (Distant), Pelidnocoris haglundi Ruckes, and Pseudobebaeus truncatus (Fallou)] are recorded for the first time from Colombia. Images of dorsal external habitus for all genera that occur in Colombia are offered. This is the first time a comprehensive list of the stink bugs from Colombia is presented, providing a baseline to develop further studies in this group of true bugs.

Description of a new species of emDinidor/em Latreille (Hemiptera: Dinidoridae) from the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, and new records of emD. saucius/em Stål.

Dinidor jograziae sp. nov., is described. The new species can be recognized by the relatively shorter mandibular plates which do not come in contact with each other anterior to the clypeus, by the dark brown hemelytral membranes, with darker, reticulate veins, and by having a relatively large portion of the connexiva exposed. We provide high-resolution photographs of important characters such as the head, pronotum, and the male and female external genitalia. We also provide new locality records for D. saucius from southern and southeastern Brazil, including the Atlantic Rain Forest region in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina and São Paulo.

Copulatory function and development shape modular architecture of genitalia differently in males and females.

Genitalia are multitasking structures whose development is mediated by numerous regulatory pathways. This multifactorial nature provides an avenue for multiple sources of selection. As a result, genitalia tend to evolve as modular systems comprising semi-independent subsets of structures, yet the processes that give rise to those patterns are still poorly understood. Here, we ask what are the relative roles of development and function in shaping modular patterns of genitalia within populations and across species of stink-bugs. We found that male genitalia are less integrated, more modular, and primarily shaped by functional demands. In contrast, females show higher integration, lower modularity, and a predominant role of developmental processes. Further, interactions among parts of each sex are more determinant to modularity than those between the sexes, and patterns of modularity are equivalent between and within species. Our results strongly indicate that genitalia have been subjected to sex-specific selection, although male and female genitalia are homologous and functionally associated. Moreover, modular patterns are seemingly constant in the evolutionary history of stink-bugs, suggesting a scenario of multivariate stabilizing selection within each sex. Our study demonstrates that interactions among genital parts of the same sex may be more fundamental to genital evolution than previously thought.

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.

Review and phylogeny of the geniculata group, genus Chinavia (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), with notes on biogeography and morphological evolution.

Chinavia is one of the most diverse genera of Pentatomidae, comprising 80 species distributed in the Afrotropical, Neartic and Neotropical regions. Some groups of species have been proposed in the literature based on morphological similarities or phylogenetic analyses. The geniculata group was proposed to include C. geniculata, C. gravis and C. nigritarsis. However, eleven other species of Chinavia share somatic and genital characteristics with C. geniculata, C. gravis and C. nigritarsis, which allows hypothesizing the monophyly among these 14 species. In spite of the recent contributions to aspects of biology, immature stages and species catalogs in Chinavia, the definition of monophyletic groups within the genus and the establishment of boundaries among its species are essential to understand its diversity and to test hypotheses on biogeography and evolutionary biology. In this study we review the taxonomy of the geniculata group, test its monophyly and propose a phylogenetic hypothesis for the group. We discuss the phylogenetic relationships from a geographical perspective, and provide insights about morphological evolution. 

Morphology of the immatures and biology of Chinavia longicorialis (Breddin) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

Chinavia longicorialis (Breddin) is recorded only in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay on host plants of at least three different families. Adults and nymphs were reared under standard controlled conditions (24 +/- 1 degrees C; 70 +/- 10% RH; 12hL:12hD), and fed on green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Eggs and first instars of C. longicorialis are very similar to those of other species of Chinavia; however, the presence of orange maculae at the thoracic pleura is exclusive of first instars of C. longicorialis. Third to fifth instars have abdominal maculae divided by pseudo-sutures, a diagnostic feature of C. longicorialis nymphs. Light and dark morphs were observed for third, fourth and fifth instars. Head width measurements did not overlap between consecutive instars. The most frequent size of an egg clutch was 14; we suggest the adoption of the mode as the best and useful estimate of the egg clutch size for Pentatomidae. Average duration of the immature stages (egg to adult) was 39.4 +/- 3.20 days. The high mortality observed from second to fifth instar (82.4%) and the lack of reproduction of the second generation indicate that green beans are unsuitable to proper development and reproduction of C. longicorialis by itself.

Morphology of the immatures and biology of Chinavia longicorialis (Breddin) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) / Morfologia dos estágios imaturos e biologia de Chinavia longicorialis (Breddin) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Chinavia longicorialis (Breddin) is recorded only in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay on host plants of at least three different families. Adults and nymphs were reared under standard controlled conditions (24 ± 1°C; 70 ± 10 percent RH; 12hL:12hD), and fed on green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Eggs and first instars of C. longicorialis are very similar to those of other species of Chinavia; however, the presence of orange maculae at the thoracic pleura is exclusive of first instars of C. longicorialis. Third to fifth instars have abdominal maculae divided by pseudo-sutures, a diagnostic feature of C. longicorialis nymphs. Light and dark morphs were observed for third, fourth and fifth instars. Head width measurements did not overlap between consecutive instars. The most frequent size of an egg clutch was 14; we suggest the adoption of the mode as the best and useful estimate of the egg clutch size for Pentatomidae. Average duration of the immature stages (egg to adult) was 39.4 ± 3.20 days. The high mortality observed from second to fifth instar (82.4 percent) and the lack of reproduction of the second generation indicate that green beans are unsuitable to proper development and reproduction of C. longicorialis by itself.

Chinavia longicorialis (Breddin) é encontrada apenas no Brasil, Argentina e Uruguai, sobre plantas hospedeiras de pelo menos três famílias diferentes. Adultos e ninfas dessa espécie foram coletados no Parque Estadual do Espinilho (Barra do Quaraí, RS) e na região da Serra do Sudeste (Canguçu e Caçapava do Sul, RS) e mantidos sob condições controladas (24 ± 1°C; UR 70 ± 10 por cento; 12hL:12hE), alimentados com vagens verdes de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Os ovos e as ninfas de primeiro ínstar de C. longicorialis são muito semelhantes àqueles das demais espécies de Chinavia; porém apresentando manchas alaranjadas na margem lateral dos segmentos torácicos. As manchas abdominais, a partir do terceiro ínstar, são nitidamente divididas pelas pseudo-suturas do abdome, o que constitui caráter diagnóstico para C. longicorialis. Ninfas do terceiro ao quinto ínstar apresentaram formas claras e escuras. Não foi observada sobreposição nas medidas de largura da cabeça entre diferentes estádios. O número de ovos por postura mais freqüente foi 14; sugere-se a adoção da moda como melhor estimativa para o tamanho das posturas em Pentatomidae. A duração média da fase imatura (ovo a adulto) foi de 39,4 ± 3,20 dias. A alta mortalidade do segundo ao quinto ínstar (82,4 por cento) e a ausência de desempenho reprodutivo nos adultos da segunda geração de laboratório indicam que vagens de feijão constituem alimento inadequado para a sobrevivência e reprodução de C. longicorialis.

Descrição dos estágios imaturos e biologia de Chinavia pengue (Rolston) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) / Description of the immature stages and biology of Chinavia pengue (Rolston) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae)

Adultos de Chinavia pengue (Rolston, 1983) foram coletados em Garopaba, SC, e criados em laboratório sob condições controladas (24 ± 1°C; UR 70 ± 10 por cento; 12hL:12hE). Como alimento, adultos e ninfas receberam vagens verdes de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Os ovos de C. pengue seguem o padrão de coloração e esculturação do cório e coloração e forma dos processos aero-micropilares descrito para as espécies neotropicais de Chinavia. Ninfas de 1° instar possuem uma mancha ovalada no dorso da cabeça e tórax, característica das espécies de Chinavia. Em C. pengue, essa mancha tem coloração laranja-avermelhada, e as manchas abdominais (4+4 manchas laterais e uma mediana) são brancas. Características exclusivas das ninfas de 2° a 5° ínstares de C. pengue são a coloração laranja-avermelhada das manchas do pro- e mesotórax e das manchas circulares no centro das placas abdominais laterais. Não se observou sobreposição nas medidas da largura da cabeça entre os cinco ínstares. Cada fêmea depositou 15,9 ± 4,18 posturas e 218,8 ± 48,60 ovos, sendo 14 ovos/postura o arranjo mais freqüente. A fertilidade foi de 70,0 por cento ± 19,01; a mortalidade no 2° ao 5° estádio foi de 1,6 por cento ± 4,49. A razão sexual obtida foi de 1 macho: 1 fêmea. A duração da fase imatura (ovo a adulto) foi de 45,7 ± 2,99 dias.

Adults of Chinavia pengue (Rolston, 1983) were collected in Garopaba county, SC, and used to establish a laboratory culture under controlled conditions (24 ± 1°C; 70 ± 10 percent RH; 12hL:12hD). Adults and nymphs were fed with green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Eggs of C. pengue follow the pattern of coloration, chorion sculpture, color and shape of the aero-micropylar processes described to other neotropical Chinavia species. The first instar has the dorsal macula of the head and thorax characteristic of Chinavia species. In C. pengue, this macula is orange-red, and the abdominal maculae (4+4 lateral maculae and one median) are white. From second to fifth instars diagnostic characteristics are orange-red maculae at pro and mesothorax, and at middle of abdominal lateral plates. There was no overlapping of the head-capsule measurements between the five instars of C. pengue. Each female laid an average of 15.9 ± 4.18 egg masses and 218.8 ± 48.60 eggs; there was a marked peak at 14 eggs per egg mass. Mean egg fertility was 70.0 percent ± 19.01; mortality in the second to fifth stadium was 1.6 percent ± 4.49. Sex ratio was 1 male: 1 female. The mean duration of the immature stage (egg to adult) was 45.7 ± 2.99 days.

[Description of the immature stages of Chinavia erythrocnemis (Berg) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)]. / Descrição dos estágios imaturos de Chinavia erythrocnemis (Berg) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

Adults and nymphs of Chinavia erythrocnemis (Berg) were colected on Sebastiania commersoniana (Baill.) Smith & Downs in the Parque Estadual do Espinilho in Barra do Quarai county, RS, and used to establish a laboratory culture reared on green pods of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Egg coloration is light-brown, chorion is reticulated and aero-micropylar processes are clubbed and white; mean number of aero-micropylar processes is 61. Eggs are very similar to those from other Neotropical Chinavia species, but the average number of 12 eggs/mass is unique among Chinavia species. Nymphs are predominantly black, with the distal part of the head, femur, and the basal part of tibia, red. First instar has the dorsal maculae of the head and thorax in red coloration, and the abdomen with a series of 3+3 dorsal white maculae. Second to fifth instars have 1+1 white maculae on lateral margins of pronotum and 2+2 white maculae on abdome. Fourth and fifth instars show an ovate white maculae in the middle of lateral plates of abdomen. Nymph coloration and the size, number and position of the maculae on pronotum and abdomen are diagnostic to C. erythrocnemis.

Descrição dos estágios imaturos de Chinavia erythrocnemis (Berg) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) / Description of the immature stages of Chinavia erythrocnemis (Berg) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Exemplares de Chinavia erythrocnemis (Berg) foram coletados em branquilho [Sebastiania commersoniana (Baill.) Smith & Downs] no Parque Estadual do Espinilho (Barra do Quaraí, RS) e criados em laboratório sob condições controladas em vagens verdes de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Os ovos de C. erythrocnemis são semelhantes aos das demais espécies neotropicais do gênero e não permitem a identificação da espécie neste estágio. Possuem forma de barril, cório com superfície reticulada, castanho-clara, com 61 processos aero-micropilares em média. Cada postura possui em média 12 ovos, característica única entre as espécies de Chinavia, até o momento. Em todos os ínstares, as ninfas são predominantemente negras, com ápice das jugas e do clípeo, ápice dos fêmures e base das tíbias vermelhas. No 1° ínstar, a mancha ovalada no dorso da cabeça e tórax, característica de Chinavia, é vermelha; no abdome estão presentes 3+3 manchas brancas dorsais. A partir do 2° ínstar, o dorso apresenta 1+1 manchas brancas no pronoto e 2+2 manchas brancas no abdome. No 4° e 5° ínstares, aparecem manchas circulares de coloração branca no centro de cada placa lateral do abdome. A coloração das ninfas e o tamanho, número e posição das manchas do pronoto e do abdome são características diagnósticas para os imaturos de C. erythrocnemis.

Adults and nymphs of Chinavia erythrocnemis (Berg) were colected on Sebastiania commersoniana (Baill.) Smith & Downs in the Parque Estadual do Espinilho in Barra do Quaraí county, RS, and used to establish a laboratory culture reared on green pods of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Egg coloration is light-brown, chorion is reticulated and aero-micropylar processes are clubbed and white; mean number of aero-micropylar processes is 61. Eggs are very similar to those from other Neotropical Chinavia species, but the average number of 12 eggs/mass is unique among Chinavia species. Nymphs are predominantly black, with the distal part of the head, femur, and the basal part of tibia, red. First instar has the dorsal maculae of the head and thorax in red coloration, and the abdomen with a series of 3+3 dorsal white maculae. Second to fifth instars have 1+1 white maculae on lateral margins of pronotum and 2+2 white maculae on abdome. Fourth and fifth instars show an ovate white maculae in the middle of lateral plates of abdomen. Nymph coloration and the size, number and position of the maculae on pronotum and abdomen are diagnostic to C. erythrocnemis.

Arranjos taxonômicos e nomenclaturais em Scaptocorini (Hemiptera: Cydnidae, Cephalocteinae) / Taxonomical and nomenclatural changes in the Scaptocorini (Hemiptera: Cydnidae, Cephalocteinae)

Atarsocoris macroptera Becker, 1967 é sinônimo júnior de Atarsocoris giselleae (Carvalho, 1952) e Atarsocoris brachiariae Becker, 1996 é sinônimo junior de Scaptocoris carvalhoi Becker, 1967.

Atarsocoris macroptera Becker, 1967 is a junior synonym of Atarsocoris giselleae (Carvalho, 1952); Atarsocoris brachiariae Becker, 1996 is a junior synonym of Scaptocoris carvalhoi Becker, 1967.

Descrição dos Estágios Imaturos de Acrosternum (Chinavia) ubicum Rolston (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) e Efeito do Alimento no Tamanho e Coloração das Ninfas / Description of the Immature Stages of Acrosternum (Chinavia) ubicum Rolston (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) and Effect of the Host Plant on Size and Coloration of Nymphs

Here we describe the immature stages of Acrosternum (Chinavia) ubicum Rolston, and test the effect of the host plant on the size and coloration of the nymphs, by feeding them with developing fruits of Crotalaria incana L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Glycine max (L.) Merril, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.), and Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. A. ubicum immatures are very similar to those from other neotropical Acrosternum species. The egg coloration varies from ochre to brown; the chorion is reticulated and the micropylar processes are clubbed and white. First to third instars are predominantly dark and the abdomen has a series of creamy to white maculae. Second to fifth instars show red to orange-red maculae on each of the dorso-lateral margins of the pronotum and mesonotum. In the fourth and fifth instars, these maculae are wider, and may also appear on the margins of the jugae, on the pronotum and mesonotum, and in the middle of the mesal and lateral plates of the abdomen. The orange-red coloration of these dorsal maculae seems specific to A. ubicum, but additional studies with other species of the genus are necessary to validate it as a good diagnostic characteristic. Fourth and fifth instars presented light and dark morphs, and their proportion varied according to the type of plant used as food. From the third instar on, the food also affected most of the morphometric parameters measured, i.e., length and width of the body, pronotum and scutelum, and antennal length; only the rostrum length remained unchanged.

Neste trabalho são descritos os estágios imaturos de Acrosternum (Chinavia) ubicum Rolston e é avaliado o efeito do alimento no tamanho e coloração, das ninfas alimentadas com frutos de Crotalaria incana L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Glycine max (L.) Merril, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) e Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Os imaturos de A. ubicum são semelhantes aos das demais espécies neotropicais de Acrosternum. Os ovos apresentam coloração ocre a castanho-parda, cório reticulado e processos micropilares clavados de coloração branca. Do 1° ao 3° ínstar, as ninfas têm coloração do corpo predominantemente escura e abdome com uma série de manchas de coloração creme a branca. A partir do 2° ínstar, apresentam manchas de coloração vermelha a vermelho-alaranjada nas margens dorsais do pronoto e mesonoto. A partir do 4° ínstar, as manchas são mais amplas, podendo também ocorrer nas margens das jugas, na superfície dorsal do pronoto e mesonoto e no centro das placas medianas e laterais do abdome. A coloração vermelho-alaranjada das manchas dorsais é aparentemente específica de A. ubicum, mas é necessário conhecer as ninfas das demais espécies do gênero para verificar se essa característica tem valor diagnóstico. O 4° e o 5° ínstares apresentaram formas escuras e claras, sendo que sua proporção variou de acordo com o tipo de alimento oferecido. A partir do 3° ínstar, o alimento também influenciou praticamente todos os parâmetros morfométricos considerados, isto é, comprimento e largura do corpo, comprimento e largura do pronoto e do escutelo e comprimento das antenas; somente o comprimento do rostro permaneceu inalterado.