''Geocoris'' is a genus of

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s in the family

Geocoridae Geocoridae is a family of big-eyed bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are more than 290 described species in Geocoridae. Subfamilies and Genera The ''Lygaeoidea Species File'' includes five subfamilies: Australocorinae # '' Australocoris'' Ma ...

(although in the past the geocorids were subsumed as a subfamily under the family "

Lygaeidae The Lygaeidae are a family in the Hemiptera (true bugs), with more than 110 genera in four subfamilies. The family is commonly referred to as seed bugs, and less commonly, milkweed bugs, or ground bugs. However, while many of the species feed on ...

"). Commonly known as big-eyed bugs, the species in ''Geocoris'' are beneficial

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s, but are often confused with the true chinch bug, which is a pest. There are more than 140 described species in ''Geocoris''.

Description

Big-eyed bugs are true bugs in the order

Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order (biology), order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, Reduviidae, assassin bugs, Cimex, bed bugs, and shield bugs. ...

. The two most common North American species are ''

Geocoris pallens ''Geocoris pallens'', the western big-eyed bug, is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae. It is found in Central America, North America, and Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melane ...

'' and ''

Geocoris punctipes ''Geocoris punctipes'', the big-eye bug, is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae. It is found in the Caribbean, Central America, North America, Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasi ...

''. Both are

predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

and occur in many

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s, including fields, gardens, and turf grass. Big-eyed bugs are considered an important predator in many agricultural systems and feed on

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

s, insect eggs, and small insects such as

pink bollworm The pink bollworm (''Pectinophora gossypiella''; es, lagarta rosada) is an insect known for being a pest in cotton farming. The adult is a small, thin, gray moth with fringed wings. The larva is a dull white caterpillar with eight pairs of legs w ...

, cabbage loopers, and

whiteflies Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described. Description and taxonomy The ...

. Adult big-eyed bugs are small (about ) black, gray, or tan with proportionately large eyes.

Egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

s are deposited singly or in clusters on leaves near potential prey. They develop with incomplete

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

(there is no

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

) and take approximately 30 days to develop from egg to adult depending on temperature. Both

nymphs A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are typ ...

and adults are predatory, but can survive on nectar and honeydew when prey are scarce. Big-eyed bugs, like other true bugs, have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed by

stabbing A stabbing is penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. ''Stab'' connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others. Stabbing differs from ...

their prey and sucking or lapping the juices. Although their effectiveness as predators is not well understood, studies have shown that nymphs can eat as many as 1600

spider mite Spider mites are members of the Tetranychidae family, which includes about 1,200 species. They are part of the subclass Acari (mites). Spider mites generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, a ...

s before reaching adulthood, while adults have been reported consuming as many as 80 mites per day.

Selected species

* ''

Geocoris atricolor ''Geocoris atricolor'' is a species of big-eyed bug ''Geocoris'' is a genus of insects in the family Geocoridae (although in the past the geocorids were subsumed as a subfamily under the family "Lygaeidae"). Commonly known as big-eyed bugs, t ...

'' Montandon, 1908 * ''

Geocoris bullatus ''Geocoris bullatus'', the large big-eyed bug, is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae. It is found in North America. Subspecies These three subspecies belong to the species ''Geocoris bullatus'': * ''Geocoris bullatus borealis'' ( ...

'' (Say, 1832) (large big-eyed bug) * ''

Geocoris discopterus ''Geocoris discopterus'' is a species of big-eyed bug ''Geocoris'' is a genus of insects in the family Geocoridae (although in the past the geocorids were subsumed as a subfamily under the family "Lygaeidae"). Commonly known as big-eyed bugs, ...

'' Stal, 1874 * ''

Geocoris floridanus ''Geocoris floridanus'', the Florida big-eyed bug, is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae Geocoridae is a family of big-eyed bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are more than 290 described species in Geocoridae. Subfamilies a ...

'' Blatchley, 1926 (Florida big-eyed bug) * ''

Geocoris frisoni ''Geocoris frisoni'' is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae Geocoridae is a family of big-eyed bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are more than 290 described species in Geocoridae. Subfamilies and Genera The ''Lygaeoidea Sp ...

'' Barber, 1926 * ''

Geocoris grylloides ''Geocoris'' is a genus of insects in the family Geocoridae (although in the past the geocorids were subsumed as a subfamily under the family "Lygaeidae"). Commonly known as big-eyed bugs, the species in ''Geocoris'' are beneficial predators, bu ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1761) - type species (as ''Cimex grylloides'' L.) - mainland Europe * ''

Geocoris howardi ''Geocoris howardi'' is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae Geocoridae is a family of big-eyed bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are more than 290 described species in Geocoridae. Subfamilies and Genera The ''Lygaeoidea Spe ...

'' Montandon, 1908 * ''

Geocoris limbatus ''Geocoris limbatus'' is a species of big-eyed bug ''Geocoris'' is a genus of insects in the family Geocoridae (although in the past the geocorids were subsumed as a subfamily under the family "Lygaeidae"). Commonly known as big-eyed bugs, th ...

'' Stal, 1874 * ''

Geocoris megacephalus ''Geocoris megacephalus'' is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae, found in the Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north o ...

'' (Rossi, 1790) * ''

'' Stal, 1854 (western big-eyed bug) * ''

'' (Say, 1832) (big-eye bug) * ''

Geocoris uliginosus ''Geocoris uliginosus'' is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae. It is found in North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to ...

'' (Say, 1832)

References

External links

''Geocoris'' spp.
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site {{Taxonbar, from=Q3101025 Pentatomomorpha genera Insects used as insect pest control agents Taxa named by Carl Fredrik Fallén

Description

Selected species

See also

References

External links