Tupiocoris notatus explained

Tupiocoris notatus is a sap-sucking bug in the family of Miridae. It feeds on mesophyll cell contents of solanaceous plants like Datura and Nicotiana-species.

Background

The insect is about 2 – 3 mm long and, like all hemipterans, undergoes an incomplete metamorphosis with several nymph stages. It is distributet mainly in the southern continental US and Mexico but also the Caribbean, Middle- and South America. This organism is used in research as a model organism in the field of chemical ecology to study plant-herbivore interactions between this insect and plants like Datura wrightii[1] or the model plant Nicotiana attenuata.

Notes and References

  1. Van Dam . N. M. . Hare . D. J. . 10.1046/j.1365-2311.1998.00110.x . Differences in distribution and performance of two sap-sucking herbivores on glandular and non-glandular Datura wrightii . Ecological Entomology . 23 . 22 . 1998 .