Melamphaus

Melamphaus is an Old World genus of true bugs in the family Pyrrhocoridae, the cotton stainers. They are often confused with bugs in the family Lygaeidae, but can be distinguished by the lack of ocelli on the head.

Melamphaus
Melamphaus faber
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Pyrrhocoridae
Genus: Melamphaus
Stål, 1868
Type species
Melamphaus faber
Species

See text

External image
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Description

The genus has adults with large and characteristic oval shape and the body is densely covered in short hair. The head behind the eye narrows slightly and the eyes are at a distance from the fore edge of the pronotum. The edge of the pronotum is not extended to the sides or bent down. The metathoracic scent gland has an ostiole with a peritreme and a deep furrow. The sutures on the underside of the abdominal segments between 4 and 5; and between 5 and 6 are strongly curved forwards.[1] Many species may swarm seasonally on seeds of specific trees. Melamphaus faber is known to be found in large numbers on Hydnocarpus anthelmetica and H. wightiana in Singapore.[2]

Species

William Lucas Distant originally included only 2 species in this genus:[3]

  1. Melamphaus agnatus Bergroth, 1894
  2. Melamphaus faber (Fabricius, 1787)
  3. Melamphaus fulvomarginatus (Dohrn, 1860)
  4. Melamphaus komodoensis Kirichenko, 1963
  5. Melamphaus rubrocinctus (Stål, 1863)
  6. Melamphaus vicinus Schmidt, 1932

References
  1. http://psybugs.biota.biodiv.tw/pages/598. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Miller, N. C. E. (2009). "Observations on Melamphaus faber, F. (Hem., Pyrrhocoridae) and Descriptions of early Stages". Bulletin of Entomological Research. 23 (2): 195–201. doi:10.1017/S0007485300004090.
  3. Distant, W.L. (1902). "VI.—Rhynchotal notes.—XII. Heteroptera:Fam.Pyrrhocoridæ". Journal of Natural History. Series 7. 9 (49): 34–45. doi:10.1080/00222930208678534.
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