See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334762100 TAXONOMIC STUDIES OF TWO STILT BUGS, METACANTHUS (METACANTHUS) PERTENERUS (BREDDIN) AND GAMPSOCORIS PULCHELLUS DALLAS (HEMIPTERA: BERYTIDAE) FROM MAHARASHTRA Article · November 2015 CITATIONS READS 0 191 3 authors, including: Bini Biswas Praveen Kanaparthi Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth Zoological Survey of India 25 PUBLICATIONS 40 CITATIONS 12 PUBLICATIONS 5 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Leafhopper Fauna of Westren Ghats View project All content following this page was uploaded by Praveen Kanaparthi on 30 July 2019. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. ISSN 2320-4311 PROMMALIA. Vol. III, 2015 Hassan, M. E., Biswas, B. and Praveen, K. 2015. Taxonomic studies of two Stilt Bugs, Metacanthus (metacanthus) pertenerus (Breddin) and Gampsocoris pulchellus Dallas (Hemiptera: Berytidae) from Maharashtra. PROMMALIA, III, 105-109 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:87BBFDB0-E969-4A5D-A244-65B786423DB2 Date of Publication: 5th November, 2015 TAXONOMIC STUDIES OF TWO STILT BUGS, METACANTHUS (METACANTHUS) PERTENERUS (BREDDIN) AND GAMPSOCORIS PULCHELLUS DALLAS (HEMIPTERA: BERYTIDAE) FROM MAHARASHTRA M. E. HASSAN, B. BISWAS AND PRAVEEN, K. Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata-700053 [email protected], [email protected] ABSTRACT Two Stilt bugs, Metacanthus (Metacanthus) pertenerus (Breddin) and Gampsocoris pulchellus Dallas are being recorded for the first time from Maharashtra. Additional diagnostic characters, especially measurements of the joints of antennae, length of femurs, length and width of pronotum and head have been given in addition to the Key for the genus Metacanthus Costa and Gampsocoris Fuss. KEYWORDS Hemiptera, Berytidae, Stilt bugs, Metacanthus, Gampsocoris, Maharashtra. INTRODUCTION Berytidae commonly known as “Stilt bugs”or thread legged bugs (also known as Neididae), is a small and diverse group of Heteroptera belonging to the Superfamily Lygaeoidea under the infraorder Pentatomomorpha (Henry, 1997b). These insects are very slender and delicate with very long legs and four segmented antennae having the terminal one enlarged and fusiform, and tarsi three segmented. Only three subfamilies of Berytidae e.g., Berytinae, Gampsocorinae and Metacanthinae comprising of 170 species under 35 genera are known all over the world (Henry and Froeschner 1998, 2000). A number of Stilt bug species have been considered as a serious agricultural pests of tomato, cotton, and cacao and since long were considered only as phytophagous in nature but the recent researches has proved that they supplement their diets with animal based food, either as an active predators, preying on various pest species, such as aphids, thrips, and the eggs of certain moth making them potentially valuable in biological control or also sometimes act as scavengers. Menon and Ghai (1959) has described a new species, Gampsocoris delhiensis from the estate of Indian Agricultural Research 105 Institute, New Delhi collected from growing tips of the bottle gourd plant. Recently Biswas and Mitra (2011) reported Metacanthus pertenerus and family Berytidae for the first time from Eastern India. Two interesting “Stilt bugs” belonging to two Subfamilies viz. Metacanthinae and Gampsocorinae have been recorded for the first time from the state of Maharashtra during the recent survey, which are being dealt with in the present paper. MATERIALS AND METHODS These rare Heteropteran insects frequently visit to the nearby vegetation of water bodies. The species, Metacanthus (Metacanthus) pertenerus (Breddin) was collected by sweeping vegetation adjacent to river Godavari, from Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary, Niphad, Nasik and the other species, Gampsocoris pulchellus Dallas from the grasses between papaya cultivation at Naruhal, Dhule. Specimens collected were preserved in 70% alcohol. Specimens were identified and photographs were taken with the help of Stereoscopic microscope (Leica M 205A). SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT Family: BERYTIDAE Fieber, 1851 Subfamily 1: Gampsocorinae Tribe: Gampsocorini Genus: Gampsocoris Fuss, 1852 1. Gampsocoris pulchellus Dallas Subfamily 2: Metacanthinae Tribe: Metacanthini Genus: Metacanthus Costa, 1838 2. Metacanthus (Metacanthus) pertenerus (Breddin) Key to the subfamilies of the Family Berytidae 1. The scent channels are lined with overlapping scale like plates. Pronotum equipped with three prominent tubercles posteriorly...................................................................... Gampsocorinae - The scent channels are not lined with overlapping scale like plates. Pronotum equipped with three obsolete tumescences posteriorly .....................................................................Metacanthinae Genus: Gampsocoris Fuss, 1852 1852. Gampsocoris Fuss,Mitt. Ver.Hermanstadt,: 7 1. Gampsocoris pulchellus Dallas 1852. Metacanthus pulchellus Dallas, List. Hem., 2: 490 1902. Metacanthus pulchellus:Distant, Fauna Brit. India, Rhynchota, 1: 423 1950. Metacanthus pertenerus: Gross, Records of S. A Museum: 323 106 Material examined: 1ex., Naruhal, Dhule Dist.,8.iii.13,coll. M. E. Hassan and party. Diagnostic characters: Body pale to brown with dark brown annulations on antennae and legs; Head longer than width and light brown at either side of eyes with a longitudinal central line, pale; apical margin of head and a transverse line in between eyes and ocelli, dark brown; antennae (A1:A2:A3:A4:: 2.20:1.26:1.00:0.602) pale with first joint longest, 2nd and 3rd subequal, 4th shortest, club shaped and dark brown or black; pronotum, longer than width (length-0.732 mm, width-0.716 mm.) anterior margin and posteriorly dark brown with three tubercles forming a transverse line (fig. 1C), thickly and finely punctuate; scutellum with long upright croocked whitish spine; hemelytra and wings almost transparent; legs long and slender, femora clubbed at apex, (length of fore femur -1.30 m.m., mid femur- 1.80 mm. and hind femur -2.94 mm ), clubs of the femur and tips of the tarsi brown. Length: 3.5- 4 mm. Distribution: India: Maharashtra (Dhule), New Delhi, North India. Elsewhere: Australia, Java and New Guinea. Genus: Metacanthus Costa, 1838 1838. Metacanthus Costa, Cim. Regni. Neap.Cent.,1: 27 2. Metacanthus (Metacanthus) pertenerus (Breddin, 1907). 1907. Megalomerium pertenerum Breddin, Denis. Ent. Zeit., 37 1918. Megalomerium pertenerum Distant, Faun. Brit. Ind. Rhynch. 7: 176, fig. 82 1950. Metacanthus pertenerus: Gross, Records of S. A. Museum: 320 2011. Metacanthus (Metacanthus) pertenerus: Biswas and Mitra, Bionotes, 13 (4): 150 Material examined: 1 ex., Niphad, Nasik, Dist., 3.iii.2013, coll. M. E. Hassan and party. Diagnostic characters: Body light yellow, antennae pale brownish yellow with the basal two third of the apical fusi form segment, black and the terminal one third pale, first antennal segment somewhat shorter than segments two and three together, segment two longer than segment three, (A1: A2:A3:A4:: 2.67: 1.64:1.34:0.646), pronotum impunctate and carinate centrally, with the collar and basal margin thickly punctuate (fig. 1 E), obliquely depressed just before margin, longer than wide (length-0.851 m.m,; width-0.624 m.m.) the distal end of the first segment of antennae, apical area of the femora and tarsi brownish and clubed, (length of fore femur -1.66 m.m., mid femur-2.04 m.m. and hind femur -3.57 m.m); eyes and dorsal surface of the abdomen red. Length: 4.67- 5.00 m.m. Distribution: India: Maharashtra (Dhule, Nasik), Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, South India. Elsewhere: Sri Lanka. 107 DISCUSSION Both the species seems capable of living under semiarid condition, which are mainly collected from Toor dal crop and other leguminous weeds. Heavy infestation of these two bugs were recorded from the late Toor dal crop as compared to crops sown in time. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Authors are grateful to Dr. K. Venkataraman, Director, ZSI for providing laboratory facilities to carry out the work. The authors are also thankful to Dr. Kailash Chandra, Additional, Director and Dr. K. A. Subramanian, Scientist- C and Officer-in-charge of Ent. Div. B for numerous curtsies. REFERENCES Biswas, B., Mitra, B. 2011. First report of Metacanthus pertenerus and family Berytidae (Hemiptera) from Eastern India, Bionotes, 13 (4): 150. Distant, W. L. 1902. Fauna of Brit. India including Ceylon and Burma, Rhynchota, 1: 421-424. Distant, W. L. 1918. Fauna of Brit. India including Ceylon and Burma, Rhynchota, 7: 173-178. Gross, G. F. 1950. The Stilt bugs (Heteroptera: Neididae) of Australia and New Zealand regions. Records of the S.A. Museum: 313-326. Henry, T. J. 1997b. Phlygenetic analysis of the family groups within the Infra order Pentatomomorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) with emphasis on the Lygaeoidea. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer., 90: 257-301. Henry, T. J. and Froeschner. 1998. Catalogue of the Stilt bugs or Berytidae, of the World (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Contrb. Amer. Entomol. Insect, 30 (4): 1-72. Menon, R. and Ghai, S. 1959. A new species of Gapsocoris Fuss (Hemiptera: Berytidae) from Delhi. Proc. R. Ent. Soc. Lond. 28 (8): 109. 108 Figure 1. Gampsocoris pulchellus Dallas; A. Dorsal view, B. Head, Pronotum with three tubercles, C. Ventral view; Metacanthus(Metacanthus) pertenerus (Breddin ); D. Dorsal view, E. Head and pronotum, F. Ventral view. 109 View publication stats.