''Proxys punctulatus'', the black stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is found in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, Central America, and North America.

Description

The adult of ''P. punctulatus'' is 11-13 mm long and has a mostly black body with a yellow spot at the apex of the scutellum. There are six legs which are black and cream in colour. The head as well as the humeral angles of the pronotum are pointed.

Life cycle

The life cycle of this species has been studied in

Union County, Illinois Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 17,244. Its county seat is Jonesboro. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as " Little ...

. Adults

overwinter Overwintering is the process by which some organisms pass through or wait out the winter season, or pass through that period of the year when "winter" conditions (cold or sub-zero temperatures, ice, snow, limited food supplies) make normal activi ...

in leaf litter near their host plants. They become active in June and reproduce. Eggs are usually laid singly. These eggs hatch into nymphs which go through five instars. A laboratory experiment, rearing ''P. punctulatus'' on ''

Tradescantia subaspera ''Tradescantia subaspera'', the zigzag spiderwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Commelinaceae, native to the eastern United States. Its zigzagging stems and wider leaves distinguish it from ''Tradescantia virginiana ''Tradesca ...

'' under constant temperature and light, found that on average egg incubation takes 9.04 days while the five nymphal instars take 5.06, 7.15, 7.56, 9.32, and 15.93 days.

Diet

''Proxys punctulatus'' is omnivorous, feeding on both plant juices and on insect larvae. It has been found on

blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...

spiderwort ''Tradescantia'' () is a genus of 85 species of herbaceous perennial wildflowers in the family Commelinaceae, native to the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina, including the West Indies. Members of the genus are known by many co ...

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 ...

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

and

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

plants. Feeding results in disfigured leaves and discolored areas on stems, but this damage is usually insignificant since the bugs never reach high populations.

Aposematism

The distinctive colouration of ''P. punctulatus'' may signal its unpalatability to predators such as birds (

aposematism Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste or ...

). Some predatory stink bugs share its black colouration and are capable of stabbing with their strong proboscis to deter predators.

Pheromones

Like many other stink bug species, ''P. punctulatus'' is attracted to traps baited with ''

Euschistus ''Euschistus'' is a genus of stink bugs in the family Pentatomidae. There are at least 20 described species in ''Euschistus''. Species * ''Euschistus acuminatus'' Walker, 1867 * ''Euschistus biformis'' Stål, 1862 * ''Euschistus comptus'' Walker ...

'' pheromones.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q10641268 Carpocorini Articles created by Qbugbot Insects described in 1818 Hemiptera of Central America Hemiptera of North America