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Project Noah Nature School
Dysdercus poecilus
There are 2 Dysdercus spp previously spotted in our backyard - D. cingulatus and D. poecilus. This new spotting has different marking at its back, but I have seen this mingling with poecilus. The species of Dysdercus (Guérin Meneville, 1831), of family Pyrrhocoridae, for the most part feed on diverse species belonging to the plant family Malvaceae. Several species are injurious to the cotton plant (Gossypium arboreum L.) by feeding on developing cotton bolls and ripe cotton seeds, as well as being vectors of fungi causing "staining” of the plant; these species are frequently referred to as "cotton stainers”. The pyrrhocorid Antilochus coquebertii is a specialist predator of various species of Dysdercus.
Backyard, spotted on weeds.
Reference: http://psybugs.biota.biodiv.tw/pages/580... http://www.pestsandcrops.com/index_files... http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/docum....
Spotted on Dec 18, 2012
Submitted on Dec 23, 2012
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