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Shield Bug

Augocoris gomesii

Description:

Some sort of white bug with several black spots.

Habitat:

Found on a small tree next to a path through Ricon de la Vieja NP.

Notes:

They were on the same plant as the insects in this spotting. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/339...

1 Species ID Suggestions

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago
Shield Bug
Augocoris sp. Flickr Community Guidelines


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16 Comments

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago

Good question anyway, but the answer is also quite simple: Dalmata is according to my quite intense search not a valid common name, at least I did not found any (!) other information about Dalmata in context with a shield bug, besides the mentioned and only one. But I found the same picture on other websites with the same Dalmata ID. I am completely against using names which are not trustable or not validated at least by another (and more or less trustable) source. If there is no common name found I prefer to add the family name like "Scutellerid Bug" or in this case, since we have a simple common name "Shield Bug". Sometimes I also use other terms like, just extrapolated from our example: "Augocoris Shield Bug or "Gomesii Shield Bug". I think that might also be a compromise we sometimes can use. If Juan is providing more info about his Dalmata it would be OK to change again, if not I would keep the simple "Shield Bug".

SG in CR
SG in CR 9 years ago

Thanks for the help identifying them. I changed it as suggested. But just for arguments sake, why do you think we should drop the "Dalmata" from the common name? I realize that the guy who posted the other spotting with it might have made it up himself. But, why does it matter? If no one has yet given the species a common name, why not give it the one that we have found? The common name doesn't really have any bearing on any scientific research does it?
Just saying, seems like if a species doesn't have a specific common name and someone comes up with a unique and/or fitting one then why not go with it?

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago

Cool, Thorsten! Thanks for support! Now, Siggi, we have the ID ready, I suggest: Shield Bug and Augocoris gomesii.

tmvdh
tmvdh 9 years ago

Another specialist I contacted has just confirmed Augocoris gomesii :-).

tmvdh
tmvdh 9 years ago

I would delete "Dalmata", too.

tmvdh
tmvdh 9 years ago

I've just been informed that an examination of the genitalia is necessary to identify the species :-(.

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago

Yes, if Gomesii, than I would prefer Augocoris cf. gomesii and I would delete the Dalmata, until we have more information.

tmvdh
tmvdh 9 years ago

Augocoris seems to be the correct genus, gomesii is still in doubt.
Still working on it...

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago

Since we are not sure about this Dalmata story and we do not find any other source than the one I mentioned, I suggest, that we leave the common name just as Shield Bug.

SG in CR
SG in CR 9 years ago

Bayucca, I think you got the ID right with Augocoris gomesii. As far as the Dalmata name goes it's seems as good as any for a common name. I'm going to go ahead and put this spotting as ID'd. Should any new info come up I can always change it.

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago

That's the problem with "invented" names, they are now spread all over the net... Once wrongly IDed people are taking the ID over and over...

tmvdh
tmvdh 9 years ago

Hi bayucca, I think "Dalmata" isn't an "official" name for this species, but "invented" for some spottings at PN. I'm working on it...

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago

Scutelleridae, most probably Augocoris sp., unfortunately I did not find a match for the ones from Costa Rica.
I did not find any further info about a Dalmata sp. from this one:
https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/17...
http://www.insecte.org/forum/viewtopic.p...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/37957896@N...
Augocoris gomesii might be a match???
http://www.cahurel-entomologie.com/image...
http://www.cahurel-entomologie.com/image...
http://www.insecte.org/forum/viewtopic.p...
Deleted image out of a forum from Guyana:
http://www.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=http%...

tmvdh
tmvdh 9 years ago

Hi Sigg, I sent you some PDF files by email. Did you get them?

SG in CR
SG in CR 9 years ago

tmvdh, thanks for taking a look.

tmvdh
tmvdh 9 years ago

Hi Sigg, it's a Shield Bug (Family Scutelleridae). No idea about the species, yet. But somehow I've got the feeling that it might be a color morph of Pachycoris torridus... Trying to get closer...

SG in CR
Spotted by
SG in CR

Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Spotted on Apr 17, 2014
Submitted on May 22, 2014

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