Agonoscelis Explained

Agonoscelis is a genus of shield bugs, in the monotypic tribe Agonoscelidini, that are native to the Afrotropics and Australia, but one species is established in the New World. Some species are minor^[1] or considerable pests.

They have five nymphal stages, and are 8 to 12 mm long as adults. They attack (or control) weeds and herbs including horehound, thyme, flax and cotton, or the developing seeds of sunflowers or cereals like millet or sorghum.^[2] They may swarm on a variety of other shrubs and trees, including coffee and cacao.^[3] The scent gland is located at the end of the abdomen.

Species

There are some 19 to 22 species, which include:^{[4] [5]}

• Agonoscelis erosa (Westwood, 1837)
  • A. e. atropurpurea Schumacher, 1913
• Agonoscelis femoralis Walker, 1868
• Agonoscelis nubila F. – Flower head bug
• Agonoscelis puberula Stål, 1853 – African cluster bug (established in New World)
• Agonoscelis pubescens (Thunb.) – Andat bug, Sudan dura bug, Pentatomid sorghum bug, African cluster bug, syn. A. versicolor (Fabricius, 1794)
• Agonoscelis rutila (Fabricius, 1775) – Horehound bug
• Agonoscelis versicoloratus (Turton) – Sunflower seed bug

Notes and References

1. Book: Weaving . Alan . Field guide to insects of South Africa . 2004 . Struik . Cape Town . 978-1-77007-061-5 . 138 . New ed., updated. etal.
2. Book: Slater . Randall T. Schuh, James A. . True bugs of the world (Hemiptera:Heteroptera): classification and natural history . 1996 . Comstock . Ithaca [u.a.] . 0801420660 . 35 . 2. printing..
3. Web site: Agonoscelis puberula. tsusinvasives.org . Texas Invasive Species Institute . 15 October 2014.
4. Web site: Agonoscelis Spinola, 1837 . biolib.cz . Biolib . 15 October 2014.
5. Book: Derwent Publications Ltd . CIBA-GEIGY . Thesaurus of agricultural organisms: pests, weeds and diseases . 1990 . Chapman and Hall . London . 0412372908 . 26 . 1st.