Serinethinae is a subfamily of the
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. ...
n family
Rhopalidae, sometimes known as soapberry bugs.
2007 Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, December 9–12, 2007. They are brightly colored seed-eaters, comprising three
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
and about sixty-five
species. These bugs are specialists on plants in the soapberry family (
Sapindaceae
The Sapindaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1858 accepted species. Examples include horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee.
The Sapindaceae occur in tempera ...
), which includes
maples,
balloon vines, and
soapberry trees, among others. Seeds of the plants are the main resource used by adults for reproduction and
nymphs for growth and development. Their diversity is the result of an adaptive radiation on these plants, whose
cyanide
Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms.
In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a ...
-based defenses the bugs have overcome. The New World genus ''
Jadera
''Jadera'' is a genus of true bugs in the soapberry bug subfamily. Members of this genus are only found in the Americas (from southern Canada through Argentina).Göllner-Scheiding, U. (1983): General-Katalog der Familie Rhopalidae (Heteropter ...
'' consists of nearly 20 species that range naturally from
Kansas to southern
Argentina. ''
Boisea'' consists of 4 species, 1 in Africa, 1 in India, and 2 in North America, including the well-known
box elder bug, ''
Boisea trivittata
The boxelder bug (''Boisea trivittata'') is a North American species of true bug. It is found primarily on boxelder trees, as well as maple and ash trees. ''. ''
Leptocoris
''Leptocoris'' is the largest genus of the soapberry bug subfamily. The 41 species of this genus are distributed throughout Africa, South Asia, and Oceania and are thought to have originated in Africa, where the greatest diversity of ''Leptocori ...
'' includes more than 60 species, in
Oceania,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Asia, and
Africa.
[
'']Jadera haematoloma
''Jadera haematoloma'', the red-shouldered bug, goldenrain-tree bug or soapberry bug is a species of true bug that lives throughout the United States and south to northern South America.Mead FW, Fasulo TRScentless plant bugs, ''Jadera'' spp.'' ...
'' is a soapberry bug found in Florida known for its rapid adaptive evolution following the introduction of a non-native soapberry plant.
Rapid evolution in Florida Soapberry Bugs: Genetic architecture of adaptive differentiation in evolving host races of the soapberry bug, ''Jadera haematoloma'', Scott P. Carroll, Hugh Dingle, Thomas R. Famula & Charles W. Fox, Genetica 112–113: 257–272, 2001
References
External links
Online guide to soapberry bugs
Serinethinae,
Rhopalidae
{{Coreoidea-stub