The chorionic structure of sixteen pentatomid species is described. Morphological patterns in different taxonomic levels are discussed. In addition, egg characters useful in cladistic analyses are listed, and some of those characters are tested for congruence with two cladistic analyses previously conducted within Pentatomidae. Descriptive studies were conducted with Banasa induta, Capivaccius bufo, Catulona pensa, Chinavia armigera, Chinavia aseada, Chinavia brasicola, Chinavia runaspis, Dichelops furcatus, Euschistus heros, Euschistus riograndensis, Euschistus paranticus, Mormidea cornicollis, Podisus distinctus, Podisus nigrispinus, Serdia apicicornis, and Thoreyella maracaja. The eggs were examined and photographed under light and scanning electron microscopy. Based on literature data, a list of 40 egg characters with potential phylogenetic importance has been compiled. Some of these characters were included in the cladistic analyses of the genus Nezara (six characters) and of the Chinavia obstinata group (five characters). Both analyses were performed in TNT with equal weighting of characters. The eggs of most of the Neotropical species studied were barrel-shaped, chorion translucent and spinose, with aero-micropylar processes that were short and clubbed. The patterns of egg morphology could be identified in Carpocorini, Procleticini, and in the genera Banasa, Chinavia, Euschistus, Mormidea, and Podisus. In the cladistic analyses, the inclusion of egg characters did not affect the topology of the trees shown in the original papers. For the analyses, the egg characters were somewhat informative. At present, a total of 286 Pentatomidae species have their egg stage described.

Robust phylogenetic hypotheses have become key for studies addressing the evolutionary biology and ecology of various groups of organisms. In the species-rich heteropteran superfamily Pentatomoidea, phylogenies at lower taxonomic levels are still scarce and mostly employ exclusively morphological data. In this study, we conducted a total evidence phylogeny focusing on the tribe Carpocorini (Pentatomidae), using morphological data and four DNA markers (COI, Cytb, 16S and 28S rDNA; ∼2330 bp; 32 taxa) in order to investigate the relationships within Euschistus Dallas, one of the most speciose pentatomid genera, and between Euschistus and related genera. Our hypotheses generated by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference show that the current taxonomic composition and classification of Euschistus and allied genera are in need of revision. Euschistus was recovered as nonmonophyletic, with the subgenera forming four independent lineages: Euschistus (Euschistus) and Euschistus (Lycipta) Stål are sister groups; Euschistus (Euschistomorphus) Jensen-Haarup is more closely related to Dichelops Spinola and Agroecus Dallas; and Mitripus Rolston is divided into two clades closely related to Sibaria Stål and Ladeaschistus Rolston. We chose not to change the classification of E. (Euschistomorphus) until further data become available, and propose to split Euschistus into three genera with the exclusion of Euschistus (Mitripus) and all of its species. Here we elevate Mitripus to genus rank to include M. acutus comb.n., M. convergens comb.n. and M. legionarius comb.n., and propose Adustonotus Bianchi gen.n. to include A. anticus comb.n., A. latus comb.n., A. tauricornis comb.n., A. grandis comb.n., A. hansi comb.n., A. paranticus comb.n., A. irroratus comb.n. and A. saramagoi comb.n. We also provide identification keys to the genera Adustonotus gen.n., Ladeaschistus, Mitripus n. rank and Sibaria, here defined as the Mitripus genus group, and to the species of Mitripus and Adustonotus gen.n. Our results provide insights into the current status of the classification of the Pentatomidae, suggesting the need for phylogenetic analyses at different taxonomic levels within stink bugs.This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid: zoobank.

Canola (Brassicaceae: Brassica spp.) is an important feedstock for biodiesel production and a potential ingredient for use in the food industry. In different continents, various arthropod pests damage canola plants. Stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) are present in all zoogeographical regions, and many species are recognized by their economic importance as crop pests. Our aim was to describe the composition, structure, and diversity of the assemblage of stink bugs sampled on canola in southern Brazil. A total of 878 pentatomids were captured, belonging to 27 species. The dominant species were Euschistus heros (F.) (n = 439), Dichelops furcatus (F.) (n = 160), and Nezara viridula L. (n = 79). The species richness estimators indicated the samples correspond from 79.7 to 93.1% of the richness estimated. Comparing canola to other monocultures, the richness of Pentatomidae was much superior. Otherwise, when compared to studies conducted in native vegetation and urban fragments, the richness is similar, and sometimes higher. This relatively high number of associations brings out the vulnerability of the canola fields according to the expansion of its cultivated area. Nine species of Pentatomidae are recorded on canola for the first time in Brazil. The most abundant species reported here are often stressed as stink bugs of economic importance in agro-ecosystems. The economic importance of each species varies greatly depending on the plant attacked. Detailed studies are needed to evaluate the damage caused to canola by stink bugs.

Accurate taxonomic identifications and species delimitations are a fundamental problem in biology. The complex taxonomy of Nematoda is primarily based on morphology, which is often dubious. DNA barcoding emerged as a handy tool to identify specimens and assess diversity, but its applications in Nematoda are incipient. We evaluated cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) efficiency as a DNA barcode for nematodes scrutinising 5,241 sequences retrieved from BOLD and GenBank. The samples included genera with medical, agricultural, or ecological relevance: Anguillicola, Caenorhabditis, Heterodera, Meloidogyne, Onchocerca, Strongyloides, and Trichinella. We assessed cox1 performance through barcode gap and Probability of Correct Identification (PCI) analyses, and estimated species richness through Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD). Each genus presented distinct gap ranges, mirroring the evolutionary diversity within Nematoda. Thus, to survey the diversity of the phylum, a careful definition of thresholds for lower taxonomic levels should be considered. PCIs were around 70% for both databases, highlighting operational biases and challenges in nematode taxonomy. ABGD inferred higher richness than the taxonomic labels informed by databases. The prevalence of specimen misidentifications and dubious species delimitations emphasise the value of integrative approaches to nematode taxonomy and systematics. Overall, cox1 is a relevant tool for integrative taxonomy of nematodes.

Three new species of the Glyphepomis are described: Glyphepomis dubia Campos & Souza, sp. nov., Glyphepomis amazonica Gonçalves & Campos, sp. nov. and Glyphepomis magnocephala Bianchi & Campos, sp. nov. Comparative illustrations of external and internal genitalia, distribution map of the described species, additions to the genus description, and a key to the species are provided.

‘We advise the authors to find a native English speaker to proofread the manuscript’. This is a standard feedback journals give to non-native English speakers. Journals are justifiably concerned with grammar but do not show the same rigour about another step crucial to biological research: specimen identification. Surveying the author guidelines of 100 journals, we found that only 6% of them request explicitly citation of the literature used in specimen identification. Authors hamper readers from contesting specimen identification whenever vouchers, identification methods, and taxon concepts are not provided. However, unclear taxonomic procedures violate the basic scientific principle of reproducibility. The scientific community must continuously look for practical alternatives to improve taxonomic identification and taxonomic verification. We argue that voucher pictures are an accessible, cheap and time-effective alternative to mitigate (not abolish) bad taxonomy by exposing preventable misidentifications. Voucher pictures allow scientists to judge specimen identification actively, based on available data. The popularization of high-quality image devices, photo-identification technologies and computer vision algorithms yield accurate scientific photo-documentation, improving taxonomic procedures. Taxonomy is timeless, transversal and essential to most scientific disciplines in biological sciences. It is time to demand rigour in taxonomic identifications.

Pentatomomorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) occurs worldwide with almost 19,000 species within six superfamilies. Their wide morphological, behavioral, and ecological diversity is remarkable, making them subject of basic and applied studies. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) proposed as a DNA barcode for Metazoa is used in species discovery and identification, relying on threshold values to split intra‐ and interspecific sequences and a comprehensive library to accurate identification. Here, we scanned all the pentatomomorphan cox1 sequences on Barcode of Life Data System library aiming to provide an overview of available data; verify barcoding gaps at generic level; infer individual empirical threshold values to distinguish congeneric species; and test efficiency of cox1 based on the Probability of Correct Identification (PCI) analysis. Our final dataset comprised 12,189 sequences, covering five superfamilies, 32 families, 460 genera, and 1068 species. The dataset abundance and composition were biased to families with economic importance, that is, Pentatomidae, Lygaeidae, Scutelleridae, Coreidae, and Rhyparochromidae. Barcode gaps were detected for most of the analyzed genera, reaffirming the efficiency of cox1 for Pentatomomorpha. We inferred threshold values for 131 genera and found a global PCI of 74.33%, suggesting that one out of four analyzed species suffer from operational biases or hide cryptic species. We brought examples to illustrate how cox1 can be used to flag inconsistencies, refine, and shed light onto future studies on Pentatomomorpha. We emphasize the efficiency of cox1 as DNA barcode for these true bugs, advocating for its combined use with, for example, morphology in integrative approaches.

Across the tree of life, male-female genital coevolution has been demonstrated in over 40 studies of vertebrates and invertebrates (Brennan & Prum, 2015), and it is likely to be even more prevalent than currently thought (Yassin, 2016). Coevolution of genitalia may arise when male and female traits are either functionally entangled or/and developmentally constrained under a pleiotropic effect. Functional integration between male and female genitals may generate coevolution through a variety of mechanisms such as female choice, avoidance of sperm competition, and species reinforcement