Oncacontias Vittatus

The forest shield bug (''Oncacontias vittatus'') is a species of shield bugs endemic to New Zealand. Forest shield bug nymphs prefer feeding on grasses, while adults will eat a variety of New Zealand plants including "hard-leaved" plants like rimu. ''O. vittatus'' was one of the first insects from New Zealand to be described by a European scientist.

Taxonomy

''Oncacontias vittatus'', was first described in 1781 by Johan Christian Fabricius as ''Cimex vittatus''. In 1851, ''C. vittatus'' was moved to the ''Acanthosoma'' genus and was renamed as ''Acanthosoma vittatum''. In 1878, ''A. vittatum'' was moved to the ''Anubis'' genus and was renamed as ''Anubis vittatus''. In 1903, the species was independently described again as ''Oncacontias brunneipennis''. In 1906, ''Anubis vittatus'' was moved into the '' Oncacontias'' genus and ''O. brunneipennis'' was recognized as a synonym of ''O. vittatus''.

Distribution/habitat

''Oncacontias vittatus'', is widespread throughout New Zealand and can be found from lowland to alpine altitudes. Individuals can be found on a variety of habitat types such as native and exotic forest, tussock lands and on riverbanks. ''O. vittatus'' occurs throughout the year with adults present from October to January. Adults are collected in leaf litter, moss, under logs and the base of plants. They have been found on a variety of plants including Rimu, Monterey Pine, ferns and '' Nothofagus'' trees, however, the sap-sucking nymphs have a more restricted diet being found on grasses''.''Larivière, M-C; Larochelle, A 2004. Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera): catalogue. ''Fauna of New Zealand'' 50, 330 pages.(ISSN 0111-5383 (print), ; no. 50. (print),). Published 14 May 2004. ZooBank: http://zoobank.org/References/A7CCCF4B-BAEA-4515-AE1A-740523FD1289

References

Acanthosomatidae
Hemiptera of New Zealand

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