Alydidae, commonly known as broad-headed bugs, is a family of true bugs very similar to the closely related Coreidae (leaf-footed bugs and relatives). There are at least 60 genera and 300 species altogether. Distributed in the temperate and warmer regions of the Earth, most are tropical and subtropical animals; for example Europe has a mere 10 species, and only 2 of these occur outside the Mediterranean region.
Names Broad-headed bugs are known as knobe in the Meto and Funai Helong languages of West Timor, Indonesia.LexiRumah 2.2.3, ‘rice ear bug’/‘walang sangit’.
Description
Broad-headed bugs are up to long, and have slender bodies. Some have long and very thin legs. The most notable characteristics of the family are that the head is broad, often similar in length and width to the pronotum and the scutellum, and that the last antennal segments are elongated and curved. The compound eyes are globular and protruding, and they also have ocelli. The femora of the hindlegs bear several strong spines; the tarsus has three segments. Most species have well-developed hemelytra (forewings), allowing them to fly well, but in some the hemelytra are vestigial. The membranous part of the hemelytra have several closely spaced long veins.
Alydidae are generally of dusky or blackish coloration. The upperside of the abdomen is usually bright orange-red. this color patch is normally not visible as it is covered by the wings; it can be exposed, perhaps to warn would-be predators of these animals' noxiousness: They frequently have scent glands that produce a stink considered to be worse than that of true stink bugs (Pentatomidae). The stink is said to smell similar to a bad case of halitosis.
Sometimes the adults have reduced wings. Both, nymphs and adults of some species, such as Dulichius inflatus and Hyalymenus spp. are ant mimics and live in ant nests.
Ecology These bugs mainly inhabit fairly arid and sandy habitat, like seashores, heathland, steppe and savannas. Their main food is seeds, which they pierce with their proboscis to drink the nutritious fluids contained within. Some are economically significant pests, for example Leptocorisa oratoria on rice. The Alydinae are also a pest of the edamame bean crop in North America, creating dark spots on the beans from feeding.
Systematics Two major lineages are generally accepted as subfamilies; a third (the Leptocorisinae) is now placed as a tribe Leptocorisini of the Micrelytrinae.
Genera These 60 genera belong to the family Alydidae:
Acestra Dallas, 1852 Alydus Fabricius, 1803 Anacestra Hsiao, 1964 Apidaurus Stål, 1870 Bactrocoris Kormilev, 1953 Bactrodosoma Stål, 1860 Bactrophya Breddin, 1901 Bactrophyamixia Brailovsky, 1991 Bloeteocoris Ahmad, 1965 Burtinus Stål, 1859 Calamocoris Breddin, 1901 Camptopus Amyot & Serville, 1843 Cosmoleptus Stål, 1873 Cydamus Stål, 1860 Daclera Signoret, 1863 Darmistus Stål, 1859 Dulichius Stål, 1866 Esperanza Barber, 1906 Eudarmistus Breddin, 1903 Euthetus Dallas, 1852 Grypocephalus Hsiao, 1963 Hamedius Stål, 1860 Heegeria Reuter, 1881 Hyalymenus Amyot & Serville, 1843 Hypselopus Burmeister, 1835 Leptocorisa Latreille, 1829 Longicoris Ahmad, 1968 Lyrnessus Stål, 1862 Marcius Stål, 1865 Megalotomus Fieber, 1860 Melanacanthus Stål, 1873 Micrelytra Laporte, 1833 Mirperus Stål, 1860 Mutusca Stål, 1866 Nariscus Stål, 1866 Nemausus Stål, 1866 Neomegalotomus Schaffner & Schaefer, 1998 Noliphus Stål, 1859 Oxycranum Bergroth, 1910 Paramarcius Hsiao, 1964 Paraplesius Scott, 1874 Planusocoris Protenor Stål, 1867 Rimadarmistus Bliven, 1956 Riptortus Stål, 1860 Robustocephalus Ahmad, Abbas, Shadab & Khan, 1979 Slateria Ahmad, 1965 Stachyocnemus Stål, 1870 Stachyolobus Stål, 1871 Stenocoris Burmeister, 1839 (rice bugs) Tenosius Stål, 1860 Tollius Stål, 1870 Trachelium Herrich-Schäffer, 1850 Tuberculiformia Ahmad, 1967 Tupalus Stål, 1860 Zulubius Bergroth, 1894 † Heeralydus Štys & Riha, 1975 † Orthriocorisa Scudder, 1890 † Sulcalydus Štys & Riha, 1975 † Willershausenia Popov, 2007
References