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Agonoscelis

Agonoscelis is a genus of shield bugs, in the monotypic tribe Agonoscelidini, that are native to the Afrotropics and Australia, but one species is established in the New World. Some species are minor or considerable pests.

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Agonoscelis
A. erosa in South Africa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Pentatomidae
Subfamily: Pentatominae
Tribe: Agonoscelidini
Genus: Agonoscelis
Spinola, 1837

Agonoscelis is a genus of shield bugs, in the monotypic tribe Agonoscelidini, that are native to the Afrotropics and Australia, but one species is established in the New World. Some species are minor1 or considerable pests.2

They have five nymphal stages, and are 8 to 12 mm long as adults. They attack (or control) weeds and herbs including horehound, thyme, flax and cotton, or the developing seeds of sunflowers or cereals like millet or sorghum.3 They may swarm on a variety of other shrubs and trees, including coffee and cacao.2 The scent gland is located at the end of the abdomen.

Species

There are some 19 to 22 species, which include:45

  • Agonoscelis erosa (Westwood, 1837)
    • A. e. atropurpurea Schumacher, 1913
  • Agonoscelis femoralis Walker, 1868
  • Agonoscelis nubila F. – Flower head bug
  • Agonoscelis puberula Stål, 1853 – African cluster bug (established in New World)
  • Agonoscelis pubescens (Thunb.) – Andat bug, Sudan dura bug, Pentatomid sorghum bug, African cluster bug, syn. A. versicolor (Fabricius, 1794)
  • Agonoscelis rutila (Fabricius, 1775) – Horehound bug
  • Agonoscelis versicoloratus (Turton) – Sunflower seed bug
  • A. rutila
    A. rutila
  • A. versicoloratus
    A. versicoloratus
References

References

  1. Weaving, Alan; et al. (2004). Field guide to insects of South Africa (New ed., updated ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-77007-061-5.
  2. "Agonoscelis puberula". tsusinvasives.org. Texas Invasive Species Institute. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  3. Slater, Randall T. Schuh, James A. (1996). True bugs of the world (Hemiptera:Heteroptera): classification and natural history (2. printing. ed.). Ithaca [u.a.]: Comstock. p. 35. ISBN 0801420660.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. "Agonoscelis Spinola, 1837". biolib.cz. Biolib. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  5. Derwent Publications Ltd; CIBA-GEIGY, eds. (1990). Thesaurus of agricultural organisms: pests, weeds and diseases (1st ed.). London: Chapman and Hall. p. 26. ISBN 0412372908.