Sphyrocoris obliquus Pachycorinae
Creators: name: Guzmán-Vásquez, Héctor M.
name: Martínez-Martínez, Laura
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Scutelleridae
Sphyrocoris
Sphyrocoris obliquus

description: Sphyrocoris obliquus (Germar, 1839)
Figure 2e
Material examined: 5 specimens (3♂ and 2♀) labeled: MEXICO, Oaxaca, Villa de Zaachila; Native grassland. 17- X-2021. Pitfall trap baited with human excrement. Leg. Guzmán V, H. M. & Guzmán V, B. (1♂) // MEXICO, Oaxaca, Macuilxóchitl de Artigas Carranza; Xerophytic scrub. 20-VIII-2021. Pitfall trap baited with human excrement. Leg. Guzmán V, H. M. & Guzmán V, B. (1♂), Same data except 18-II-2022 (1♂) // MEXICO, Oaxaca, San Andrés Huayapam. 10-X-2020. On leaves of Rubus fruticosus L. Leg. Martínez M, L. (1♀) // MEXICO, Oaxaca, Sta. Cruz Xoxocotlán; CIIDIR. 11-X-2023. On wilted flowers of Zinnia elegans L. Leg. Martínez M, L. (1♀). New locality records and new plant associations.
Associated plants: Ambrosia chenopodiifolia (Benth.) W.W.Payne, Bidens bipinnata L., Bidens pilosa L., Bidens sp., Parthenium hysterophorus L., Tridax procumbens L. (Asteraceae); Varronia cylindrostachya Ruiz & Pav., Heliotropium arborescens L. (Boraginaceae); Ipomoea sp. (Convolvulaceae); Glycine max (L.) Merrill (Fabaceae); Salvia mellifera Greene (Lamiaceae); Gossypium barbadense L., Gossypium thurberi Tod., Gossypium sp., Sphaeralcea sp. (Malvaceae); Zea sp. (Poaceae); Simarouba sp. (Simaroubaceae); Lantana sp. (Verbenaceae) (Eger et al. 2015a; Rider 2015; Cazorla & Alarcón 2024).
Remarks: Eger (2012) and Eger et al. (2015a) mentioned S. obliquus for Mexico without giving precise localities. Rodriguez (1992) provided records of S. punctellus (synonymy of S. obliquus) for several states in Mexico, and mentioned the localities of Huajuapan de León, Panatepec and Pinotepa Nacional in Oaxaca. Therefore, here we add the new localities of Macuilxóchilt de Artigas Carranza, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, San Andrés Huayapam, and Villa de Zaachila.
Also, the association of S. obliquus with Rubus fruticosus (Rosaceae), and Zinnia elegans (Asteraceae) is reported for the first time. In addition, three specimens were attracted to beetle traps (Scarabaeinae) baited with human excrement, so it is inferred that S. obliquus could be a generalist species with both phytophagous and coprophagous habits and possibly even necrophagous since it has also been collected on wilted flowers of Z. elegans with some initial degree of decomposition. However, observations are needed to corroborate its coprophagy and possible necrophagy. These preferences are quite rare in Scutelleridae, since coprophagy has only been reported for the species Solenosthedium liligerum (Thunberg) (Londt & Reavell 1982). Regarding necrophagy, Chérot et al. (1998), reported Chrysocoris fascialis (White) feeding on a decomposing snake. Eger et al. (2015b) mentioned that they have collected several New World scutellerids with butterfly traps baited with carrion (decomposing fish).
description: Published as part of Guzmán-Vásquez, Héctor M. & Martínez-Martínez, Laura, 2025, Checklist and bilingual key to the genera of Scutelleridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from Mexico, with new distribution records for the state of Oaxaca, pp. 341-354 in Zootaxa 5594 (2) on page 348, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5594.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/14954440