Family NINIDAE

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Family NINIDAE

Compiler and date details

15 February 2002

Introduction

The Ninidae are a small family of lygaeoid bugs comprising five genera and 13 species (Slater 1964; Slater & O'Donnell 1995; Zoological Record 1995–2001). The ninids are represented in Australia by two species.

Barber (1956) first established the group as a tribe of Cyminae (Cymini, Ischnorhynchini and Ninini) and recognised four genera (Cymoninus Distant, Neoninus Distant, Ninomimus Lindberg, and Ninus Stål). Scudder (1957) revised the tribe, describing a new genus (Paraninus Scudder), and maintaining their composition and rank. Barber (1958) retained the Ninini as a tribe but suggested that this was a new arrangement (probable lapsus). Štys (1967) diagnosed the Ninini and proposed affinities with other members of his 'malcid-line' of taxa, aside from the Cymini. Hamid (1975) in his monograph of the Cyminae, removed the ischnorhynchines, and recognised three cymine tribes (Cymini, Ontiscini and Ninini). In his classification the generic composition of the Ninini was the same as given by Scudder (1957).

Henry (1997) raised the Ninini to family rank, and established a sister-group relationship with the Malcidae + Colobathristidae + Berytidae, based on the presence of stylate eyes, supericorn antennal bases and apically bifid scutellum. This arrangement is followed in this Catalogue.

Slater (1964) and Slater & O'Donnell (1995) catalogued the genera and species of Ninidae (as tribe of Cyminae). Cymoninus has a circumtropical distribution and includes three species. Cymoninus sechellensis Bergroth is found in tropical and subtropical, coastal Queensland, on Lord Howe Island, and extralimitally, in Melanesia, and the Afrotropical and Oriental Regions. Neoninus comprises three species, restricted to the Neotropical Region. Ninomimus has two species and is known from Russia and Japan. Ninus has four species and is mostly distributed across the Afrotropical and Oriental Regions. The nominotypical species, N. insignis, is found in far north coastal Queensland, as well as Melanesia, Micronesia, and broadly across the Oriental Region. Paraninus is a monotypic genus confined to northern South America.

The biology of Ninidae is very poorly known. Hamid (1975) indicated that they are 'up-on-plant' seed-predators, primarily on monocot species belonging to the Cyperaceae and Juncaceae. Hamid (1975) reported that Ninus similis Scudder occurs on the sedge genera Scirpus Linnaeus and Cyperus Linnaeus, in South Africa. Cymoninus sechellensis has been collected in seed heads and on ferns in Fiji. Ninus insignis has been collected on sugarcane (Box 1953) and the sedge Fimbristylis cymosa R.Br. (Usinger 1946). Slater (1963) described the larvae of this species.

Diagnosis

Ninids are small, fragile species, ranging from 3–4 mm. The body is elongate-ovoid. The body is punctate. The head is strongly deflexed. The antennae are supericorn and the antennifers are reduced. The antennae and labium are 4-segmented. The first antennal segment is small. The eyes are stylate. Ocelli are present and relatively close to each other. The pronotum is neither constricted laterally nor carinate. The scutellum is apically bifid. The membrane of the hemelytra is reduced. The hind wings have a hamus. The ostiole of the metathoracic glands is enlarged. The abdominal spiracles are dorsal on segments II–VI, and ventral on VII. The spermathecal flanges are generally reduced. The larval dorsal abdominal glands are present between terga III/IV, IV/V, V/VI, with the latter reduced. (Scudder 1957; Štys 1967; Hamid 1975; Henry 1997)