''Aepophilus'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

of bugs, containing the species ''Aepophilus bonnairei'' in the monotypic subfamily Aepophilinae in the monotypic family Aepophilidae of the infraorder

Leptopodomorpha Leptopodomorpha is an infraorder of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). Leptopodomorpha is an infraorder of the order Heteroptera that contains more than 380 species. These small insects are also called shore bugs, or spiny shore bugs. As ...

. It is found on the Atlantic coast of Europe.

Distribution

The species lives on the coasts of Ireland, southwest England and Wales, the Netherlands, the North of France's Atlantic and Channel coasts, the Atlantic coasts of Spain and Portugal, with an uncertain record from Morocco.

Ecology

''Aepophilus bonnairei'' lives exclusively in the intertidal zone of the sea coast, often in between

thalli Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms were ...

of ''

Fucus ''Fucus'' is a genus of brown algae found in the intertidal zones of rocky seashores almost throughout the world. Description and life cycle The thallus is perennial with an irregular or disc-shaped holdfast or with haptera. The erect portion o ...

''. It is small (length 2.5-3.5 mm) and found in cracks and crevices of rocky coasts as well as under stones embedded in sand or silt. This insect is a predator and has been observed feeding on

annelid The annelids (Annelida , from Latin ', "little ring"), also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecol ...

s, with its sucking mouthparts, in the field and in the laboratory. The life cycle of the species has been poorly researched. Larval stages were kept in the laboratory for several months, so it probably has a relatively slow development. There are reports that the females guard egg clutches.

References

External links

British Bugs
''Aepophilus bonnairei'' Marine Bug (retrieved 30 October 2021) * * {{Taxonbar, from2=Q114865, from1=Q18642876, from3=Q18642878 Heteroptera genera Hemiptera of Europe Leptopodomorpha