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Anthocoridae is a family of
bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Description
Anthocoridae are 1.5–5 mm long and have soft, elongated oval, flat bodies, often patterned in black and white. The head is extended forward and the antennae are longer than the head and visible from above. They possess a
piercing and sucking three-segmented beak or
labium used to inject prey with digestive enzymes and consume food. In general appearance, they resemble soft bugs
Miridae
The Miridae are a large and diverse insect family at one time known by the taxonomic synonym Capsidae. Species in the family may be referred to as capsid bugs or "mirid bugs". Common names include plant bugs, leaf bugs, and grass bugs. It is the ...
, but Anthocoridae differ by their possession of two ocelli as adults. Anthocorids possess two pairs of wings with hemelytra and membranous hindwings.
Many species are referred to as insidious flower bugs or pirate bugs. The scientific name is a combination of the Greek words ''anthos'' "flower" and ''koris'' "bug".
Habitat and behaviour
Many species can be found in cryptic habitats such as
galls
Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to be ...
, but can also be present in open surface environments. They can often be found in many agricultural crops.
They can feed on plant material, but mostly feed on other small soft-bodied
arthropods
Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...
.
[ Anthocorids are often predacious both as nymphs and adults.][ They are beneficial as ]biological control
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...
agents. ''Orius insidiosus
''Orius insidiosus'', common name the insidious flower bug, is a species of minute pirate bug, a predatory insect in the order Hemiptera (the true bugs). They are considered beneficial, as they feed on small pest arthropods and their eggs. They ...
'', the "insidious flower bug", for example, feeds on the eggs of the corn earworm (''Helicoverpa zea''). ''Orius insidiosus'' is often released in greenhouses against mites and thrips
Thrips ( order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are ...
.
Eggs are laid in plant material and hatch in approximately 3 to 5 days. Nymphs require at least 20 days to progress through five instars
An instar (, from the Latin '' Ä«nstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...
. Adults live for approximately 35 days.
These small insects can bite humans, however, they do not feed on human blood or inject venom or saliva. Reactions to bites in individuals can range from no effect to minor swelling and irritation.
Systematics
There are two subfamilies and at least 8 tribes:
Anthocorinae
Auth. Fieber, 1837
;tribe Almeidini Carayon, 1972
# ''Almeida (bug) Almeida may refer to:
People
* Almeida (surname)
* Almeida Garrett (1799–1854), Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist and politician
Places
* Almeida, Boyacá, a town and municipality in Colombia
* Almeida Municipality, Portugal
** Almeida, Por ...
'' Distant, 1910
# '' Australmeida'' Woodward, 1977
# '' Lippomanus'' Distant, 1904
;tribe Anthocorini
Anthocorini is a tribe of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are more than 30 described species in Anthocorini.
Genera
''BioLib'' includes the following in tribe Anthocorini:
# '' Acompocoris'' Reuter, 1875
# ''Anthocoris'' Fa ...
Fieber, 1837
Selected genera:
* ''Acompocoris
''Acompocoris'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae
Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Description
Anthocoridae are 1.5–5 ...
'' Reuter, 1875 i c g b
* ''Anthocoris
''Anthocoris'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are at least 30 described species in ''Anthocoris''.
Species
These 32 species belong to the genus ''Anthocoris'':
* '' Anthocoris albiger'' Reuter, 1884
* '' An ...
'' Fallen, 1814 i c g b
* ''Coccivora
''Coccivora'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae
Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Description
Anthocoridae are 1.5–5 m ...
'' McAtee & Malloch, 1925 i c g b
* ''Dufouriellus
''Dufouriellus'' is a monotypic genus of minute pirate bugs now placed in the tribe Anthocorini (previously considered typical of the Dufouriellini). The described species is '' Dufouriellus ater'', which has been recorded from much of western E ...
'' Kirkaldy, 1906
* ''Elatophilus
''Elatophilus'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae
Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Description
Anthocoridae are 1.5–5 ...
'' Reuter, 1884 i c g b
* ''Melanocoris
''Melanocoris'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae
Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Description
Anthocoridae are 1.5–5 ...
'' Champion, 1900 i c g b
* ''Temnostethus
''Temnostethus'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae
Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Description
Anthocoridae are 1.5–5  ...
'' Fieber, 1860 i c g b
* ''Tetraphleps
''Tetraphleps'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are about 10 described species in ''Tetraphleps''.
Species
These 10 species belong to the genus ''Tetraphleps'':
* ''Tetraphleps aterrima'' (J.Sahlberg, 1878)
* ' ...
'' Fieber, 1860 i c g b
;tribe Blaptopstethini Carayon, 1972
# '' Blaptostethoides'' Carayon, 1972
# '' Blaptostethus'' Fieber, 1860
;tribe Cardiastethini
The ''Cardiastethini'' are a tribe of flower bugs, erected by Carayon in 1972 and based on the type genus ''Cardiastethus''.[Amphiareus
''Amphiareus'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs belonging to the family Anthocoridae
Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Description
Anthocoridae are 1.5†...]
'' Distant, 1904
* ''Brachysteles
''Brachysteles'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Lyctocoridae. There are at least three described species in ''Brachysteles''.
Species
These three species belong to the genus ''Brachysteles'':
* '' Brachysteles espagnoli'' Ribes, ...
'' Mulsant & Rey, 1852
* ''Buchananiella
''Buchananiella'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Lyctocoridae. There are at least three described species in ''Buchananiella''.
Species
These three species belong to the genus ''Buchananiella'':
* '' Buchananiella continua'' (W ...
'' Reuter, 1884
* ''Cardiastethus
''Cardiastethus'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Lyctocoridae. There are more than 20 described species in ''Cardiastethus''.
Species
These 23 species belong to the genus ''Cardiastethus'':
* '' Cardiastethus assimilis'' (Reute ...
'' Fieber, 1860
;tribe Oriini
Oriini is a tribe of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae. There are about 6 genera and more than 60 described species in Oriini.
Genera
These six genera belong to the tribe Oriini:
* '' Macrothacheliella'' Champion, 1900
* '' Macrotra ...
Carayon, 1955
Selected genera:
* ''Orius
The genus ''Orius'' (commonly called minute pirate bug) consists of omnivorous bugs in the family Anthocoridae (pirate bugs). Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on smaller insects, larva and eggs, such as spider mites, thrips, j ...
'' Wolff, 1811 i c g b
;tribe Scolopini Carayon, 1954
Selected genera:
* ''Calliodis
''Calliodis'' is a genus of bugs in the family Lyctocoridae
Lyctocoridae is a reconstituted family of bugs, formerly classified within the minute pirate bugs of the family Anthocoridae. It is widely distributed, with one species ('' Lyctocori ...
'' Reuter, 1871
* ''Scoloposcelis
''Scoloposcelis'' is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Lyctocoridae. There are about seven described species in ''Scoloposcelis''.
Species
These seven species belong to the genus ''Scoloposcelis'':
* '' Scoloposcelis basilica'' Drake a ...
'' Fieber, 1864
;tribe Xylocorini Carayon, 1972 (monotypic)
# ''Xylocoris
''Xylocoris'' is a genus of bugs in the monotypic tribe Xylocorini of the family Anthocoridae. There are approximately 50 described species in ''Xylocoris'' worldwide. Nearly 30 species occur in the Palearctic realm, Palaearctic Region, 10 are kno ...
'' Dufour, 1831
;''incertae sedis''
# '' Crytosternum'' Fieber, 1860
Lasiochilinae
Auth. Carayon, 1972 (sometimes placed at family level: "Lasiochilidae")
* tribe Lasiochilini Carayon, 1972
# ''Lasiochilus
''Lasiochilus'' is a genus of true bug
Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield ...
'' Reuter, 1871
# '' Plochiocoris'' Champion, 1900
* genera ''incertae sedis''
Unplaced genera
# '' Lilia (bug)'' White, 1879
# '' Opisthypselus'' Reuter, 1908
* 4 fossil genera
Data sources: i = ITIS,[ c = Catalogue of Life,][ g = GBIF,][ b = Bugguide.net][Péricart, J. 1996. Family Anthocoridae Fieber, 1836 flower bugs, minute pirate bugs, pp. 108–318. In Aukema, B. and C. Rieger, eds. ''Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region''. Vol. 2. Cimicomorpha I. Netherlands Entomological Society, Amsterdam. 359 pp.]
References
External links
Pirate bugs
Pirate bugs
(with pictures)
Heteroptera families
{{Cimicomorpha-stub