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Illustrated ID Key to Assassin Bug Subfamilies & Tribes Hemiptera: Reduviidae ![]() CLICK FOR DOWNLOAD .PDF --------------------------------- Classification Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hemiptera Suborder: Heteroptera Infraorder: Pentatomomorpha Superfamily: Pentatomoidea Family: Pentatomidae Subfamily: Pentatominae Tribe: Catacanthini Genus: Catacanthus Species: Catacanthus Incarnatus
.............................. Phylogenetic systems ofMantodea (Dictyoptera) CLICK FOR DOWNLOAD .PDF |
MAN-FACED STINK BUG Catacanthus incarnatus, otherwise known as the Man-Faced Stink Bug. Discovered in 1778 by British entomologist, Dru Drury, the species hails from Southeast Asia and India, where it congregates in dense groups of several hundred on fruit trees and flowering flame trees. Man-Faced Stink Bugs can come in several colours, such as red, yellow, orange and cream, and it's thought that these mostly bold colours exist to warn predators that the bug is either poisonous or at least tastes horrible. The bizarre face pattern could also function as a defence mechanism, with the pseudo-eyespots drawing attention away from the vulnerable head area.
The scutellum body is typically half of an inch long, green or brown color, usually trapezoidal in shape, giving this family the name "shield bug". The tarsi are 3-segmented. The forewings of stink bugs are called hemelytra, with the basal half thickened while the apex is membranous (as are the hindwings).
Catacanthus ("having downward-pointing thorns") is a genus of insects within the Pentatomidae family. The insects belonging to this genus are found in Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Japan and South Korea.
The stink bug derives its name from an unpleasant scent from a glandular substance released from pores in the thorax when disturbed. The chemicals involved include aldehydes, making the smell similar to that of coriander. In some species the liquid contains cyanide compounds and a rancid almond scent, used to protect themselves and discourage predators.
The term 'stink bug' is also used in referring to the distantly-related species Boisea trivittata and to some unrelated insects, including beetles in the genus Eleodes such as the Pinacate beetle.
Pentatomidae, are a family of insects belonging to order Hemiptera including some of the stink bugs and shield bugs.
Also known as shield bugs, Man-Faced Stink Bugs have a thick, hardened extension of the thorax, called a scutellum, that covers and protects the top of its abdomen. It sometimes has two prominent black dots on its scutellum, but always has a pair of big, black spots on its leathery wings.
Many stink bugs and shield bugs are considered agricultural pest insects, because they can create large populations which feed on crops (damaging production), and they are resistant to many pesticides. They are a threat to cotton, corn, sorghum, soybeans, native and ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, weeds, and many cultivated crops. However, some genera of Pentatomidae are considered highly beneficial: the anchor bug, which can be distinguished by the red-orange anchor shape on the adult, is one example. It is a predator of other insects, especially Mexican bean beetles, Japanese beetles, and other pest insects.
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