''Oxycarenus laetus'', commonly known as the dusky cotton bug, is a species of plant bug belonging to 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 ...

. It is sometimes known as the Egyptian cotton stainer, and is found in southern Asia where it is a

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

, okra and other crops.

Distribution

''Oxycarenus laetus'' is found in Iraq, Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. In India and Pakistan it displaces ''

Oxycarenus hyalinipennis ''Oxycarenus hyalinipennis'', common name cotton seed bug, is a species of plant bug belonging to the family Lygaeidae, subfamily Oxycareninae.Samy, O. 1969. A revision of the African species of Oxycarenus (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae). Transactions of ...

'' on cotton; this species, commonly known as the cotton seed bug, occupies a similar niche in other cotton-growing regions of the world, with the exception of North America.Samy, O. 1969. A revision of the African species of Oxycarenus (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 121(4): 79 – 165
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Hosts

''Oxycarenus laetus'' is a

polyphagous Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffixes -vore, -vory, or -vorous from Latin ''vorare'', meaning "to devour", or -phage, -phagy, or -phagous from Greek φαγε ...

insect, feeding on the seeds of a number of plants in the

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

family. As well as being a

(''Gossypium'' spp.) crops, this insect is found on ''

Abutilon indicum ''Abutilon indicum'' (Indian abutilon, Indian mallow) is a small shrub in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions. This plant is a valuable medicinal and ornamental plant, its roots and leaves being used for curing feve ...

'' (Indian mallow), '' Sida acuta'' (common wireweed) and '' Thespesia populnea'' (portia tree). On these plants, populations are at their highest during the hotter months from March to July, and at their lowest between November and January. The insects seem to do best when the temperature is high and the humidity moderate. Other host plants on which this bug can be found include '' Hibiscus sabdariffa'' (roselle), ''

Hibiscus vitifolius ''Hibiscus vitifolius'', the grape-leaved mallow or tropical rose mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to the seasonally dry Old World tropics and subtropics, and has been introduced to most of the islands ...

'' (tropical rose mallow) and '' Hibiscus esculentus'' (okra). Besides these plants on which the dusky cotton bug breeds, it feeds on a number of other plants and weeds including Deccan hemp, ''

Dombeya burgessiae ''Dombeya burgessiae'', the rosemound, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to seasonally dry areas of tropical Africa, and has been introduced to Pakistan, Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northe ...

'', '' Grewia asiatica'', ''

Melochia corchorifolia ''Melochia corchorifolia'', the chocolateweed, is a weedy tropical plant that is typically seen in the wastelands. It has been most frequently observed to grow in open areas, such as highways.Mohlenbrock, R. (1982) The Illustrated Flora of Illino ...

'', ''

Malva pusilla ''Malva pusilla'', also known as ''Malva rotundifolia'' (the latter of which is now officially rejected by botanists), the low mallow, small mallow, or the round-leaved mallow, is an annual and biennial herb species of the Mallow genus ''Malva'' ...

'', ''

Malva ''Malva'' is a genus of herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae. It is one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow. The genus is widespread throughout the temper ...

'' spp., ''

Malvastrum ''Malvastrum'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Malvaceae. Its native range is the New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ...

'' spp. and '' Malvascus'' spp.

Life cycle

The female ''Oxycarenus laetus'' lays a batch of cigar-shaped eggs between the lint and the

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

in half-open cotton bolls. The eggs hatch in between six and ten days, and the young develop through six nymphal stages before becoming fully grown in thirty to forty days.

Ecology

Both adults and nymphs of ''Oxycarenus laetus'' feed on the developing seeds of the cotton plant. The seeds fail to develop properly and the lint gets stained. The predatory pirate bug ''

Orius tantillus The genus ''Orius'' (commonly called minute pirate bug) consists of omnivorous Hemiptera, bugs in the family Anthocoridae (pirate bugs). Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on smaller insects, larva and eggs, such as Tetranychus urt ...

'' preys on the dusky cotton bug.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q85791536 Agricultural pest insects Lygaeidae Hemiptera of Asia