Family COLOBATHRISTIDAE

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Family COLOBATHRISTIDAE

Compiler and date details

15 February 2002

Introduction

The Colobathristidae are a small tropical family of lygaeoid bugs that comprise 23 genera and 84 species (Schuh & Slater 1995; Zoological Record 1995–2001; Henry 2009).

Colobathristids were first considered as a family-group by Stål (1865), who ranked them as a subfamily of Lygaeidae sensu lato. Bergroth (1910) raised them to family status, indicating that the plate-like female genitalia are homologous with those found in the Coreidae. Subsequent authors have placed them within the Lygaeoidea and Coreoidea. Štys (1967) considered colobathristids to have close relationships with his 'malcid-line' of coreoids (Berytidae, Cymidae, Cryptorhamphidae, Malcidae Ninidae), based on abdominal tergal characters. Kumar (1968) supported this arrangement based on character states of the gut and salivary glands. Cobben (1968) indicated that the eggs are typical of those found in Coreoidea. Henry's (1997) phylogenetic classification of the Lygaeoidea established the Colobathristidae and Berytidae as sister-groups, based on the elongate clavate first antennal segment, armed scutellum, and posterior articulation of the metacoxae.

Horváth (1904) monographed the family and gave keys and descriptions to genera and species. Štys (1966a) recognised two subfamilies of colobathristids, the nominotypical subfamily Colobathristinae and the monogeneric Dayakiellinae. The Colobathristinae, with 22 genera and 81 species, are equally speciose in the tropics of the Oriental and Neotropical Regions. Štys (1966a, 1974) reviewed the most speciose genus, Phaenacantha Horváth, and described the morphology of the Australian species, Phaenacantha australiae Kirkaldy. Kormilev (1949, 1951), Carvalho & Costa (1989) and Froeschner (1981) reviewed aspects of the Neotropical colobathristid fauna. The Dayakiellinae comprise two species and are restricted to Indonesia (Štys 1966b). Coscaron & Delattre (2003) revised the genus Trichocenthrus Horváth from Ecuador and gave a key to species.

Sweet (2000) reviewed aspects of colobathristid biology and reported on the economic significance of the group. Colobathristids are phytophagous insects that feed mostly on grasses; a few species can cause crop loss. Illingworth (1921) described the biology and pest status of Phaenacantha australiae, at times considered a pest of sugarcane in Queensland. Myatt (1973) reported on an outbreak of this species on sugarcane in unseasonally dry conditions. Malipatil & Kumar (1975) described the egg and immature stages of this species and Kumar (1968) reported that it glues its eggs to the leaves of host plants.

Diagnosis

Colobathristids are very slender, medium-sized to large bugs. They have a deeply punctate and pruinose body. The head is strongly declivent and the eyes are stylate. Ocelli are present. The antennae and labium are 4-segmented. The scutellum is long and narrow and sometimes armed with spines. The lateral margins of the hemelytra are weakly concave. The corium usually has a triangular apical cell. The claval commissure is absent. The membrane veins are reduced or obsolete. The evaporative areas are extensive occupying much of the venter of the thorax. Abdominal spiracles II–IV are dorsal, the remainder are ventral. The abdomen is strongly constricted basally. The ovipositor is reduced and plate-like and sternite VII is not split mesally. The spermathecal bulb has reduced flanges. The aedeagus has an elongate phallobase and tubular membranous vesica. Larval dorsal abdominal glands are present between terga III/IV, IV/V and V/VI. (Slater 1982; Štys 1966a, 1966b; Schuh & Slater 1995; Henry 1997)