Coleotichus blackburniae

Coleotichus blackburniae
Coleotichus blackburniae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Scutelleridae
Genus: Coleotichus
Species: C. blackburniae
Binomial name
Coleotichus blackburniae
White, 1881[1]

Coleotichus blackburniae is a species of insect in the family Scutelleridae, the jewel bugs. It is commonly known as the Koa bug or the Koa shield bug.[1] It has been dubbed the stinkless stink bug for its lack of the malodorous defensive chemicals present in other heteropterans.[2] It is Hawaii's largest endemic true bug.

Contents

Description

The exoskeletons of Koa bugs contain many different iridescent colours.[3]

The eggs hatch approximately 9 days after being laid. They are only a few millimetres wide, and are laid in a tight cluster. They are green in colour at first, and then turn red as they develop.[3]

Distribution and habitat

This insect occurs on all the main islands of Hawaii.[4][5] They are found on `a`ali`i (Dodonaea viscosa) bushes[6] and koa (Acacia koa) trees.[6][4]

A cluster of instars

Behaviour and diet

Common to all true bugs, this species has no mouth parts with which to bite, cut, or chew its food. Instead it has a tube-like structure that it uses to suck the contents from the seeds of several types of koa and `a`ali`i plants.[3]

Numbers of this insect were greatly reduced on most of the Hawaiian islands. A parasitoid fly which preys on hemipterans, Trichopoda pennipes was introduced with the intention of controlling a similar insect, but also attacked the koa bug. Today, it is common in only a few areas of the Big Island.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Coleotichus blackburniae (Koa Sheild Bug)
  2. ^ Coleotichus blackburniae (Scutellaridae) - HEAR species info
  3. ^ a b c http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/affiliates/prism/documents/KoaBugLesson.pdf Koa Bug Investigation
  4. ^ a b c Koa Bug
  5. ^ Species Profile for Koa shield bug (Coleotichus blackburniae)
  6. ^ a b Insects of Hawaii: Coleotichus blackburniae (Koa bug)

External links

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