Proxys punctulatus

Proxys punctulatus, the black stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, and North America.[1][2][3]

Proxys punctulatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Pentatomidae
Tribe: Carpocorini
Genus: Proxys
Species:
P. punctulatus
Binomial name
Proxys punctulatus
(Palisot, 1818)

Description

The adult of P. punctulatus is 11-13 mm long and has a mostly black body with a yellow spot at the apex of the scutellum. There are six legs which are black and cream in colour. The head as well as the humeral angles of the pronotum are pointed.[4]

Life cycle

The life cycle of this species has been studied in Union County, Illinois. Adults overwinter in leaf litter near their host plants. They become active in June and reproduce. Eggs are usually laid singly. These eggs hatch into nymphs which go through five instars. A laboratory experiment, rearing P. punctulatus on Tradescantia subaspera under constant temperature and light, found that on average egg incubation takes 9.04 days while the five nymphal instars take 5.06, 7.15, 7.56, 9.32, and 15.93 days.[5]

Diet

Proxys punctulatus is omnivorous, feeding on both plant juices and on insect larvae. It has been found on blackberry,[6] spiderwort,[7] cotton, soybean and citrus plants.[4] Feeding results in disfigured leaves and discolored areas on stems, but this damage is usually insignificant since the bugs never reach high populations.[4]

Aposematism

The distinctive colouration of P. punctulatus may signal its unpalatability to predators such as birds (aposematism). Some predatory stink bugs share its black colouration and are capable of stabbing with their strong proboscis to deter predators.[4]

Pheromones

Like many other stink bug species, P. punctulatus is attracted to traps baited with Euschistus pheromones.[8]

References
  1. "Proxys punctulatus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  2. "Proxys punctulatus". GBIF. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  3. "black stink bug - Proxys punctulatus (Palisot)". entnemdept.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  4. Vangeison, K. W.; Mcpherson, J. E. (1975-01-15). "Life History and Laboratory Rearing of Proxys punctulatus (Hemiptera:Pentatomidae) with Descriptions of Immature Stages1". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 68 (1): 25–30. doi:10.1093/aesa/68.1.25. ISSN 1938-2901.
  5. Brennan, S. A.; Liburd, O. E.; Eger, J. E.; Rhodes, E. M. (2013). "Species composition, monitoring, and feeding injury of stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in blackberry". Journal of Economic Entomology. 106 (2): 912–923. doi:10.1603/ec12415. ISSN 0022-0493. PMID 23786082. S2CID 25042392.
  6. Villegas, Rob Diaz de. "Proxys punctulatus, a stinkbug species, on spiderwort buds". The WFSU Ecology Blog. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  7. Tillman, P. Glynn; Cottrell, Ted E. (2016). "Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Pheromone-Baited Traps Near Crop Field Edges in Georgia, USA". Florida Entomologist. 99 (3): 363–370. doi:10.1653/024.099.0304. ISSN 0015-4040. S2CID 54585896.
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