Superfamily PENTATOMOIDEA

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Superfamily PENTATOMOIDEA

Compiler and date details

2012 - Professor Gerry Cassis, Anna Namyatova, Nikolai Tatarnic and Celia Symonds, University of New South Wales, Sydney

15 February 2002

Introduction

The Pentatomoidea is the most diverse superfamily of pentatomomorphan bugs and includes the stinkbugs, shieldbugs, tortoise bugs, burrower bugs and jewel bugs. The superfamily comprises 14 families: Acanthosomatidae, Aphylidae, Canopidae, Cydnidae, Dinidoridae, Lestoniidae, Megarididae, Pentatomidae, Phloeidae, Plataspidae, Scutelleridae, Tessaratomidae, Thaumastellidae and Urostylidae.

The pentatomoid families present in Australia are: Acanthosomatidae, Aphylidae, Cydnidae, Dinidoridae, Lestoniidae, Pentatomidae, Plataspidae, Scutelleridae and Tessaratomidae. Monteith pers. comm. has indicated that the Urostylidae do not occur in Australia, that previous records are in error (Woodward et al. 1970; Carver et al. 1991). Thus, in this Catalogue they are excluded from the Australian heteropteran fauna. The Canopidae, Megarididae, Phloeidae, Thaumastellidae and Urostylidae are not represented in Australia.

The Pentatomoidea have been widely accepted as a higher taxon within the Pentatomomorpha (Pendergrast 1957; Leston 1958; Scudder 1959; China & Miller 1959; McDonald 1966; Gapud 1991; Carver et al. 1991; Schuh & Slater 1995). Much of the literature is summarised by Göllner-Scheiding (1990), Stonedahl & Dolling (1991), Schaefer (1993) and Henry (1997).

The Thaumastellidae are restricted to Afrotropical and Palaearctic Regions and are the only taxon whose position in the Pentatomoidea is debatable. This family was originally placed in the Lygaeidae and subsequently transferred to the Pentatomoidea (at family rank) by Štys (1964). Dolling (1981) recognised the group as a subfamily of Cydnidae. Jacobs (1989) revised their family status and questioned their position within the Pentatomoidea, primarily because of the presence of m-chromosomes.

Contrary to the universal acceptance of the Pentatomoidea, the family-group classification is conjectural. Classifications differ in the number of accepted families, primarily because of varied ranking of certain taxa. Over the past 45 years various authors have recognised between nine and 14 families (Cassis & Gross 2002: Table 1). The classification in the Catalogue follows Schuh & Slater (1995).

Most of the above authors reject earlier notions (e.g. Kirkaldy 1909) that a number of families (Acanthosomatidae, Dinidoridae, Phloeinae, Plataspidae, Scutelleridae and Tessaratomidae) are subfamilies of the Pentatomidae. Currently, there are alternative views concerning the relationships and ranking of the Aphylidae, Cyrtocorinae, Megarididae and Thyreocoridae. The Aphylidae are either considered as a family (Schuh & Slater 1995) or a subfamily of Pentatomidae (Gross 1975; Carver et al. 1991). The Cyrtocorinae are either recognised as a pentatomid subfamily (Schuh & Slater 1995) or elevated to family (Gapud 1991; Packauskas & Schaefer 1998). Similarly, Megarididae are placed in the Pentatomidae (Gapud 1991) or recognised at family rank (Schuh & Slater (1995). The Thyreocoridae have been considered a family (Schuh & Slater 1995) or a subfamily of Cydnidae (Dolling 1991; Schuh & Slater 1995). Of these taxa, only the Aphylidae are present in Australia, and are accepted in this Catalogue as a family (see Introduction to Aphylidae for justification).

The relationships of the family-groups within the Pentatomoidea have received scant attention. A number of comparative morphology studies have been conducted (Singh-Pruthi 1925—male genitalia; Southwood 1956—eggs; Pendergrast 1957—reproductive organs; Miyamoto 1961—gut; Kumar 1957—ejaculatory canal, 1962—genitalia and salivary glands, 1964—ejaculatory reservoir, 1965, 1969; McDonald 1966—genitalia; Schaefer 1975—abdominal trichobothria; Miyamoto 1981—heart ostia; Davidová-Vilímová 1991—pygophore, and Davidová-Vilímova & Podoubský 1999—dorsal abdominal glands and androconia).

Most of the above authors drew conclusions about in-group relationships in the Pentatomoidea but in the main their data were not analysed using testable phylogenetic methods. Gapud (1991) alone provided a phylogenetic schema based on character analysis, and established the following sister-group relationships: Urostylidae + Phloeidae + (Dinidoridae + (Tessaratomidae) + Acanthosomatidae + (Scutelleridae + Canopidae) + (Cydnidae + (Lestoniidae + Plataspidae)) + Pentatomidae. Schuh and Grazia in litt. are currently testing this hypothesis.

Pentatomoids are defined by the following characters: well-developed scutellum that is either triangular to semi-elliptical in shape; claval commissure reduced or absent; paired abdominal trichobothria positioned laterally and posteriad of spiracles; base of spermatheca with a pair of ring sclerites; barrel-shaped eggs; and oval and caudally directed genital opening of male (Cobben 1968, Gapud 1991, Carver et al. 1991, Schuh & Slater 1995). Gross (1975) and Slater (1982) also give morphological diagnoses for the superfamily.