Illustrated guide to Pentatominae (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) species associated with the four main grain crops in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

Abstract

Several stink bugs in the subfamily Pentatominae are crop pests or have the potential to damage plants of economic importance. In the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, where agriculture plays a major role in the economy, the knowledge about pest stink bugs is fragmented and, in some instances, outdated. This work provides a summary of Pentatominae species recorded in Rio Grande do Sul feeding on the four most important grain crops for the state, i.e. soybean, rice, maize, and wheat, plus canola, an emerging crop. This survey is enhanced with new records from scientific collections, a short diagnosis for each species, distribution maps, an identification key, and carefully illustrated to allow for species recognition in the field. With this work, we aim to reunite the scattered knowledge of the group in one single revision, and provide a useful tool for identifying the pest stink bugs of Rio Grande do Sul.

Surprising diversity of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea) in a Brazilian ocean beach drift: results of a rapid survey

“…These species have been poorly documented in collections and scientific literature, as previoulsy noted by Brailovsky & Rolston (1986) and Barcellos & Grazia (1993;. Additionally, the presence of O. and maize (see Barros et al 2021); as well the presence of eight species of predatory stink bugs (Asopinae), including a relevant number of individuals of P. nigrispinus, P. fuscescens, B. tabidus and S. cincticeps, largely studied as important tools for biological control, including in South America (De Clercq 2000;Roca-Cusachs et al 2020;Brugnera et al 2022;Plata-Rueda et al 2022).…”