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squash bug

 
Dictionary: squash bug
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n.
A blackish North American insect (Anasa tristis) that is destructive to squash, pumpkins, and other crops.


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: squash bug
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Any of more than 2,000 widely distributed insect species (family Coreidae), including many important plant pests. Most species are dull-coloured and more than 0.4 in. (10 mm) long. Many have enlarged, flattened extensions on the legs. The North American squash bug (Anasa tristis) is an important pest of squash, melon, and pumpkin (plants in the gourd family). It is basically yellow but is covered with black pits that make it look black. The larvae feed underground, and the piercing and sucking mouthparts of the adults enable them to attack the parts of plants that insecticides rarely penetrate.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: squash bug
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squash bug, name for a true bug, Anasa tristis, found throughout the United States and S Canada. It damages squash, pumpkin, and related plants by sucking the juices from leaves and stems. The adult is dark brown and measures about 2/3 in. (16 mm) long. The eggs are laid in the late spring and hatch in two weeks. The green larvae, or nymphs, soon turn brown or gray. Birds feed on both nymphs and adults, but the most effective natural enemy is the larva of a tachinid fly, which develops within the body of an adult or larval squash bug, feeding on and eventually killing the host. The squash bug is classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Hemiptera, and family Coreidae.

WordNet: squash bug
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: large black American bug that sucks sap of vines of the gourd family
  Synonym: Anasa tristis

Wikipedia: Coreidae
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Coreidae
Acanthocephala terminalis[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Infraorder: Pentatomomorpha
Superfamily: Coreoidea
Family: Coreidae
Leach, 1815
Subfamilies

Agriopocorinae (disputed)
Coreinae
Meropachydinae
Pseudophloeinae
and see text

Coreidae are a large family of predominantly herbivorous insects that belong in the hemipteran suborder Heteroptera[2]. There are more than 1,800 species in over 250 genera[3]. They vary in size from 7 to 45mm, making the larger species some of the biggest heteropterans. The body shape of coreids is quite variable, with some species broadly oval while others are slender. Coreids are found throughout the world but most species are found in the tropics and subtropics.

In North America they are colloquially called “squash bugs” because some species, such as Anasa tristis, are pests of squashes [4] [5]. They are also called “leaf-footed bugs” due to the leaf-like expansions some species have on their hindlegs.

Contents

Morphology

The general morphological features of Coreidae are an oval-shaped body, antennae composed of four segments, a numerously veined forewing membrane, a metathoracic stink gland and enlarged hind tibia [4][2]. Many species are covered with spines and tubercles [3].


Systematics

This group is most often divided into 3-4 subfamilies; some selected genera are also listed here:

Agriopocorinae Miller, 1953 (often included in Coreinae)

  • Agriopocoris Miller, 1953

Coreinae Leach, 1815

  • Acanthocephala Laporte, 1833
  • Acanthocerus Palisot, 1818
  • Althos Kirkaldy, 1904
  • Amblyomia Stål, 1870
  • Anasa Amyot & Serville, 1843
  • Catorhintha Stål, 1859
  • Chariesterus Laporte, 1833
  • Chelinidea Uhler, 1863
  • Chondrocera Laporte, 1832
  • Cimolus Stål, 1862
  • Coreus
  • Dallacoris Osuna, 1981
  • Euthochtha Mayr, 1865
  • Ficana Stål, 1862
  • Hypselonotus Hahn, 1833
  • Leptoglossus Guérin-Méneville, 1831 – conifer seed bugs
  • Madura Stål, 1860
  • Mamurius Stål, 1862
  • Mozena Amyot & Serville, 1843
  • Namacus Amyot & Serville, 1843
  • Narnia Stål, 1862
  • Nisoscolopocerus Barber, 1928
  • Phthia Stål, 1862
  • Piezogaster Amyot & Serville, 1843
  • Sagotylus Mayr, 1865
  • Savius Stål, 1862
  • Scolopocerus Uhler, 1875
  • Sephina Amyot & Serville, 1843
  • Sethenira Spinola, 1837
  • Spartocera Laporte, 1833
  • Thasus Stål, 1865
  • Zicca Amyot & Serville, 1843

Meropachydinae Stål, 1867

  • Merocoris Perty, 1833

Pseudophloeinae Stål, 1867

  • Ceraleptus Costa, 1847
  • Coriomeris Westwood, 1842

Numerous tribes of the Coreinae have previosuly been proposed for elevation to subfamily rank; for example the Agriopocorini, Colpurini, Hydarini, Phyllomorphini and Procamptini. But the only one of these changes accepted at least by a significant minority of researchers today is the first, and even recent reviews generally tend to treat the proposed Agriopocorinae as a tribe again, recognizing only the three subfamilies that were known by 1867. In addition, at least the genus Eubule is of decidedly indeterminate placement.

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References

  1. ^ Cirrus Digital Family Coreidae, Acanthocephala terminalis
  2. ^ a b A Dictionary of Entomology. CABI Publishing. 2000. 
  3. ^ a b True Bugs of the World (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Classification and Natural History. Cornell University Press. 1995. 
  4. ^ a b Baranowski, R M (1986). Coreidae of Florida (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 
  5. ^ Hawkins, R D (2003). Shieldbugs of Surrey. Surrey Wildlife Trust. 

External links



This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Coreidae".  Read more