Proxys punctulatus
Species of true bug
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Proxys punctulatus, the black stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, and North America.[1][2][3]
| Proxys punctulatus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Family: | Pentatomidae |
| Tribe: | Carpocorini |
| Genus: | Proxys |
| Species: | P. punctulatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Proxys punctulatus (Palisot, 1818) | |
Description
Life cycle
The life cycle of this species has been studied in Union County, Illinois. Adults overwinter in leaf litter near their host plants. They become active in June and reproduce. Eggs are usually laid singly. These eggs hatch into nymphs which go through five instars. A laboratory experiment, rearing P. punctulatus on Tradescantia subaspera under constant temperature and light, found that on average egg incubation takes 9.04 days while the five nymphal instars take 5.06, 7.15, 7.56, 9.32, and 15.93 days.[5]
Diet
Proxys punctulatus is omnivorous, feeding on both plant juices and on insect larvae. It has been found on blackberry,[6] spiderwort,[7] cotton, soybean and citrus plants.[4] Feeding results in disfigured leaves and discolored areas on stems, but this damage is usually insignificant since the bugs never reach high populations.[4]
Aposematism
The distinctive colouration of P. punctulatus may signal its unpalatability to predators such as birds (aposematism). Some predatory stink bugs share its black colouration and are capable of stabbing with their strong proboscis to deter predators.[4]
Pheromones
Like many other stink bug species, P. punctulatus is attracted to traps baited with Euschistus pheromones.[8]
