Antestiopsis orbitalis Dorsal view IMG 9549

''Antestiopsis'' is a genus of

shield bug The Pentatomoidea are a superfamily of insects in the Heteroptera suborder of the Hemiptera order. As Hemiptera, they share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts. The roughly 7000 species under Pentatomoidea are divided into 21 families (1 ...

, commonly known as antestia and the variegated coffee bug. Several species in

eastern Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

are pests of

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

plants, giving the coffee beans a distinctive 'potato taste', which is thought to be caused indirectly by bacteria entering through wounds created by the insects, leading to an increase in the concentration of

isopropyl methoxy pyrazine Isopropyl methoxypyrazine (IPMP) is a methoxypyrazine, a class of chemical compounds that produce odors. The odor is rather undesirable and is produced by the Asian lady beetle or by the actinomycete ''Streptomyces'' sp. It can be detected by hum ...

. They feed on flowers, berries and growing tips, injecting a toxic saliva that often contains the spores of the ''

Ashbya (also known as Ashbya gossypii) is a filamentous fungus or mold closely related to yeast, but growing exclusively in a filamentous way. It was originally isolated from cotton as a pathogen causing stigmatomycosis by Ashby and Nowell in 1926. T ...

'' fungus, and then suck juices out.

Species

Species include: *''

Antestiopsis intricata ''Antestiopsis'' is a genus of shield bug, commonly known as antestia and the variegated coffee bug. Several species in eastern Africa are pests of coffee plants, giving the coffee beans a distinctive 'potato taste', which is thought to be ca ...

'' (Ghesquiere and Carayon) *''

Antestiopsis thunbergii ''Antestiopsis'' is a genus of shield bug, commonly known as antestia and the variegated coffee bug. Several species in eastern Africa are pests of coffee plants, giving the coffee beans a distinctive 'potato taste', which is thought to be ca ...

'' (Gmelin)

Control

Throughout history, ''Antestiopsis'' was controlled in Kenya using pyrethrum powder. The

organophosphate In organic chemistry, organophosphates (also known as phosphate esters, or OPEs) are a class of organophosphorus compounds with the general structure , a central phosphate molecule with alkyl or aromatic substituents. They can be considered a ...

fenthion Fenthion is an organothiophosphate insecticide, avicide, and acaricide. Like most other organophosphates, its mode of action is via cholinesterase inhibition. Due to its relatively low toxicity towards humans and mammals, fenthion is listed as ...

has been used to control the pest in Burundi. Laboratory experiments have found the

essential oils An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

of ''

Thymus vulgaris ''Thymus vulgaris'' (common thyme, German thyme, garden thyme or just thyme) is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe from the western Mediterranean to southern Italy. Growing to tall by wide, it ...

'', ''

Ruta chalepensis Dried fruits. ''Ruta chalepensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the Rutaceae family known by the common name fringed rue. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa. It has been found elsewhere as an introduced species. It is a perennial herb ...

'' and ''

Chenopodium ambrosioides ''Dysphania ambrosioides'', formerly ''Chenopodium ambrosioides'', known as Jesuit's tea, Mexican-tea, ''payqu'' ''(paico)'', ''epazote'', ''mastruz'', or ''herba sanctæ Mariæ'', is an annual or short-lived perennial herb native to Central ...

'' cause around 90% mortality in ''Antestiopsis''.

References

External links

Antestiopsis
Plantwise Pentatomidae Coffee diseases Pentatomomorpha genera {{Pentatomoidea-stub