Amyotea malabarica (Fabricus, 1775)

Salini, S., 2017, Redescription of a predatory stink bug, Amyotea malabarica (Fabricius, 1775) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae), Journal of Biological Control 30 (4), pp. 240-240 : 243-244

Amyotea malabarica (Fabricus, 1775)

( Figs 5-6 )

Cimex malabarica Fabricius, 1775: 718 ; Cimex mactans Fabricius, 1781: 366 ; Cimex oculatus Fabricius, 1798: 535 (homonym); Lygaeus malabaricus Fabricius, 1794: 151 ; Lygaeus mactans Fabricius, 1794: 161 ; Lygaeus argus Fabricius, 1803: 217 (new name for oculatus); Asopus argus Burmeister, 1834: 293 ; Pentatoma mactans Westwood, 1842: 25 ; Asopus mactans Dallas, 1851: 107 ; Amyotea dystercoides Ellenrieder, 1862: 137 ; Amyotea nigripes Ellenrieder, 1862: 138 ; Asopus nigripes Vollenhoven, 1868: 12 ; Asopus malabricus Stål, 1870: 56 ; Asopus malabraica var. rubrocinctus Breddin, 1899: 166 ; Asopus malabraica var. rubrocincta Schouteden, 1907: 54 ; Asopus malabraica var. nigripes Hsiao et al., 1977: 88 ; Asopus rufus Azim and Shafee, 1982: 361 .

Material Examined. INDIA: Karnataka: 1 ♀, Hoskote , 22.i.2009, N 13 o 05.321’ E 077 o 49.687’, Yeshwanth, H. M .; 1♀, Kolar, 10.ix.2009, Mallesh ; 2♁, Basavanehalli, Magadi , 28.i.2010, N13 o 02 E77 o 18, Mahendra, R, ex maize ; 1♀, Basavanehalli, Magadi , 28.i.2010, N13 o 02 E77 o 18, Umesh Kumar, S, ex Maize ; 1♀, Savanadurga, 23.vii.2010, Mallesh ; 1♀, Devanahalli, 15.xii.2010, N13 o 16E77 o 38, Umeshkumar, S .; 1♁, Basavenahalli, 27.i.2011, N13 o 02 E77 o 18, Mahendra, R ; 1♁, Basavenahalli, 27.i.2011, Meenakshi, J .; 2♀, Kenchanakuppe, Bidadi , 24.ii.2011, N 12 o 48 E77 o 22, Meenakshi, J, ex maize ; 1♀, Tumukulahalli, Chikkaballpur , 26.iii.2011, N13 o 23 E77 o 43, Meenakhi, J, ex Maize ; 1♁, Shimoga, 17.v.2011, Harish, ex light ; 1♀, Hebbal, 10.viii.2012, Salini, S .; 1♀, Hebbal, 19.xii.2012, Salini, S ; 1♀ (without label) ; 1♀, Hebbal, 05.i.2013, Salini, S .; 1♁, Bangalore, Attur , 28.i.2013, Salini, S .; 1♀, Attur, Yelahanka , 13.i.2014, Salini, S ; 1♀, Bagalur, 18.xii.2015, Lalitha ; Tamil Nadu: 1♁, Hosur, 11.xi.2015, Salini, S .

Redescription. Colouration. Body above bright red with black spots of variable size ( Fig. 5 ) as follows: dorsal disc of head with oval, transverse elongate spot posteriorly behind compound eyes, black; one transverse, elongate black spot borne by each pronotal cicatrices; disc of scutellum with two large, roughly round spot at each basal angles, black. Antennal segments black except segment I red. Head underside including labium red except apex of labium (segment III and IV) pale. Thoracic and abdominal sternites (except red circumference) with alternate bands of black and white ( Fig. 6 ). Legs red as a whole or black with red coxae.

Integument and vestiture. Body uniformly covered with dense and fine punctae dorso-ventrally. All punctae concolourous to body colouration.

Structure. See the generic redescription.

Male genitalia ( Figs 12 – 20 ). Genital capsule ( Fig. 14 ) short, roughly quadrangular with posterior aperture slightly shifted towards dorsal side of genital capsule. Proctiger ( Fig. 13 ) black, sclerotized proximally with median longitudinal suture. Caudal angles broadly rounded. Dorsal rim ( Fig. 14 ) broadly concave with narrow median emargination; infoldings of dorsal rim with lateral depressions on either side of median emargination. Ventral rim ( Fig. 15 ) slightly wavy with slight concavity medially. Paramere ( Figs. 16 – 17 ) small, roughly sickle-shaped, distal end broadly expanded and rounded. Phallotheca of phallus with median transverse constriction, dividing phallotheca into two nearly equal halves ( Fig. 18 ); phallotheca slightly sclerotized; a pair of membranous conjunctival processes with apex sclerotized and pointed ( Figs 19 – 20 ). Processes of aedeagus sclerotized, fused subapically and longer than aedeagus ( Fig. 20 ). Aedeagus erect, short and tubular ( Fig. 19 ).

Female genitalia (Figs 21 – 22). Valvifers VII subquadrate (Fig. 21) with posterior margin incised towards inner posterior angles, valvifers IX fused to single quadrate plate with posterior margin concave; laterotergite IX finger-like, reaching apex of abdomen, laterotergite VIII posteriorly encompassing laterotergite IX and segment X and medially fused. Ring sclerits absent. Spermatheca (Fig. 22) with proximal spermathecal duct longer than distal spermathecal duct, median dilation balloon-like; distal invagination of spermathecal duct (=spermathecal rod) narrow, cylindrical; intermediate part of spermatheca (=spermathecal pump) short, only single flange visible; apical receptacle large orbicular, without any finger-like processes.

Measurements (in mm). Males (n=5); median (minimum–maximum). Body length 11.16 (10.78–12.20); length of head 1.73 (1.66–1.84), width across eyes 2.17 (2.14 – 2.24), interocular distance 1.37 (1.32–1.44), lengths of antennal segments ( I) 0.36 (0.32–0.39): ( II) 1.72 (1.56–1.89): ( III) 0.81 (0.73–0.92): ( IV) 1.47 (1.45–1.51): ( V) 1.44 (1.25–1.62); lengths of labial segments ( I) 1.52 (1.40–1.68): ( II) 1.76 (1.65–1.85): ( III) 0.84 (0.77–0.97): ( IV) 0.43 (0.39–0.50); median length of pronotum 2.36 (2.27–2.61; humeral width 5.07 (4.75–5.57); length of scutellum 3.94 (3.72-4.32); basal width of scutellum 3.22 (3.22–3.59).

Females (n=5); median (minimum–maximum). Body length 12.81 (11.70–14.41); length of head 1.95 (1.81– 2.11), width across eyes 2.39 (2.24 – 2.59), interocular distance 1.51 (1.43–1.70), lengths of antennal segments ( I) 0.38 (0.37–0.39): ( II) 1.98 (1.78–2.47): ( III) 0.91 (0.81– 0.98): ( IV) 1.53 (1.42–1.68): ( V) 1.50 (1.38–1.59); lengths of labial segments ( I) 1.70 (1.41–1.87): ( II) 1.96 (1.79– 2.19): ( III) 0.94 (0.82–1.04): ( IV) 0.46 (0.43–0.53); median length of pronotum 2.78 (2.53–2.89); humeral width 5.90 (5.59–6.52); length of scutellum 4.71 (4.42 – 5.16); basal width of scutellum 3.70 (3.44–4.26).

Variability ( Figs. 1–4 ). The specimens examined differ in the body measurements; variability also associated with shape of black spots on head, pronotum and scutellum apart from hemelytra. Disc of head sometimes with two additional longitudinal black marks at apex of each mandibular plates. The black spots borne by pronotal cicatrices sometimes enlarged and extended posteriorly covering most of the posterior pronotal disc dorsally, but well separated medially with red region. Black spots at basal angles of scutellum extending posteriorly and reaching to region where frena ends in a few specimens. Apart from the usual reddish hemelytra, sometimes whole of corium and adjacent posterior longitudinal half of embolium, black.

Bionomics. Freshly laid eggs ( Fig. 10 ) are yellowish and after a day turns to orange brown ( Fig. 11 ). Eggs are oval shaped, whole surface covered with numerous small spine-like projections. The operculum/lid is demarcated by a row of elongate and white hair-like structure at anterior region of egg ( Fig. 11 ). Length of egg (1.16 mm) and width of egg (0.90 mm). Egg period was observed to be 10 – 11 days. Remaining stages unknown.

Distribution. Distribution within India is given by Salini and Viraktamath (2015). Attur, Bagalur, Chikkaballapur, Devanahalli, Hoskote, Kolar, Magadi, Savanadurga, Shimoga are the additional locations within Karnataka, from where the localized specimens are obtained for the present work.

Figures

Figs. 5-11. Amyotea malabarica (Fabricius). 5, Habitus (dorsal); 6, Habitus (ventral); 7, Head (dorsal); 8, External scent efferent system; 9, Head and Pronotum (lateral)–arrow showing thickened first labial segment; 10, Freshly laid eggs; 11, one day old eggs– arrow show- ing the white hair-like structures demarcating operculum.

Figs. 12-20. Amyotea malabarica (Fabricius)- male genitalia. 12, sternite VIII of male; 13, Proctiger (dorsal); 14, Genital capsule (dorsal); 15, Genital capsule (ventral); 16, Paramere (dorsolateral); 17, paramere (ventrolateral); 18, Phallus (dorsal); 19, Phallus (ventral); 20, phallus (lateral).

Figs. 1-4. Dorsal habitus of Amyotea malabraica (Fabricius) showing the vari- ability of black spots on pronotum and scutellum and hemelytra with or without black colouration.