Choerocoris paganus
Creators: name: Gerry Cassis
name: Loren Vanags
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2006
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Scutelleridae
Choerocoris
Choerocoris paganus

description: Choerocoris paganus (FABRICIUS 1775) (Figs 1c, 24d, 31, 32e, f, 33b, 34) Ground Jewel Bug
Cimex paganus FABRICIUS 1775: 698 (n.sp.); FABRICIUS 1781: 340 (description); FABRICIUS 1787: 281 (description); FABRICIUS 1794: 84 (description); DONOVAN 1805: pl. 3 fig. 4 (description) Tetyra pagana: FABRICIUS 1803: 134 (new combination); AMYOT & SERVILLE 1843: 47, pl. 1 fig. 6 (description; habitus) Scutellera paganus: GUÉRIN 1831: pl. 11 fig. 5 (new combination); BOISDUVAL 1835: 625, pl. 11 fig. 4 (description); GUÉRIN-MÉNEVILLE 1838: 156 (description) Callidea pagana: GERMAR 1839: 122 (new combination) CHoerocoris paganus: DALLAS 1851: 29 (new combination); VOLLENHOVEN 1863: 36 (description, distribution); MAYR 1866: 22 (description); STÅL 1873: 13 (list); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 21 (catalogue); Distant 1899: 34 (biology); FROGGATT 1901: 1595 (description); FROGGATT 1902: 322 (description); SCHOUTEDEN 1904: 39 (list); KIRKALDY 1909: 291 (catalogue); TILLYARD 1926: 149 (diagnosis); MCDONALD 1963a: 230, figs 1,2 (female genitalia); MCDONALD 1963c: 290 (biology); KUMAR 1964: 60 (male genitalia); GROSS 1975: 94, pl. C (description; colour habitus); MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 558, figs 61,62 (description); CASSIS & GROSS 2002: 593 (catalogue)
Diagnosis: CHoerocoris paganus is recognised by the following combination of characters: scutellum mostly red, with pair of submedial triangular blue markings (Fig. 24d); callosite region of pronotum medially impunctate (Fig. 24d); callosite region posteriorly demarcated by transverse furrow (Fig. 24); abdominal venter orange with lateral and submedial dark blue markings (Fig. 32e, f); CAII(M) and CAII(L) symmetrical, with conical lobal sclerites; vesica with subdistal tumescence; paratergites IX small, suboval (Fig. 33b); and gonocoxae I relatively large (Fig. 33b).
Description: Body moderately sized, males 8-11 mm, females 9-12 mm.
Colouration. Body mostly red with iridescent green-black to blue-black markings (Fig. 24d). Head: uniformly iridescent green-black; underside of head iridescent green to blue-black. Antennae: uniformly fuscous. Labium: fuscous. Pronotum: mostly green to blue black, sometimes medially red (Fig. 24d). Scutellum: mostly red, with submedial pair of subtriangular green to blue-black iridescent markings, usually with anterior margin with large subrectangulate green to blue-black iridescent marking, sometimes absent and red (Fig. 24d). Thoracic Pleura: nearly all iridescent green to blue-black, with anterior edge of proepister-num orange to red. Pregenital Abdomen: venter mostly red to orange-red, with lateral margins of SIV-SVII with triangular iridescent green to blue-black markings (Figs 32e, f); SIII-SVII with paired submedial oval dark markings (Figs 32e, f); SVII with large, broad medial black marking (Figs 32e, f). Male Genitalia: pygophore uniformly black or red medially and remainder black. Female Terminalia: most often red to orange-red, with minor black markings, to paratergites VIII and IX and medial margins of gonocoxae I mostly black.
Texture. Dorsum mostly densely punctate; pronotum with scattered punctures (Fig. 24d).
Structure. Antennae: AII(a) shortest segment, a little longer than AI; AIV longest segment. Labium: reaching metasternum; LII longest segment, a little longer than LIII and LIV. Male Genitalia: ventral margin of pygophore with broad, shallow notch; parameres with short hook-like crown, without sub-apical flange; phallotheca heavily sclerotized; ductus seminis proximalis narrow, single membraneous tube; ejaculatory apparatus with convoluted ventral conducting canal, 5-6 convolutions; ejaculatory reservoir large, subelliptoid; base of ductus seminis distalis greatly incrassate; CAII mostly membraneous, bifid, with small lobal sclerites; CAIII heavily sclerotized, sinuate, distally acute, basally fused (pre-thecal margin); vesica tapered distally without adornments. Female Terminalia: paratergites VIII moderate, size, subtriangular (Fig. 33b); paratergites IX small, suboval (Fig. 33b); gonoxocae I relatively large, depressed (Fig. 33b); spermatheca as in generic description.
Measurements. MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: Table 5.
Material examined: Queensland: 1♀, Lizard Island, 29 September-1 October 1967, H Heatwole (AM); New South Wales: 17♂♂ 9♀♀, Bundjalong National Park, Black Rocks, 32.24S 152.32E, 15 November 1993, G Cassis, ex beach wash (AM); 1♂ 1♀, Mt Kaputar, Bullawa Creek, 28 April 1985, G Hangay (AM); 3♂♂ 1♀, Goonoo State Forest, south side, 9 November 1987, DK McAlpine & R de Keyzer (AM); Myall Lakes National Park, 10.3 km S Seal Rocks Road on Hawks Nest Road, 32°30’S 152°21’E, October 20 1995, RT Schuh & G Cassis, ex Dodonaea viscosa angustissima (AM); 3♂♂, 2.9 km W Nyngan, 31°33’56“S 147°09’19“E, 202 m, October 18.2001. RT Schuh, G Cassis, R Silveira & MA Wall, ex Dodonaea viscosa spatulata (AM); 1♂, Munmorah State Recreation Area, 33°12.26’S 131°34.37’E, 11 October 1997, L Wilkie, K145365 (AM); 1♀, Booti Booti National Park, 32°11.15’S 152°31.42’E, 25 November 1997, L Wilkie (AM); 5♂♂ 9♀♀, Yara, 32°51’54“S 146°11’21“E, December 2000, G Swan, semiarid grassland, pitfall trap (AM); 2♂♂ 4♀♀, Yara, 32°56’48“S 146°11’32“E, December 2000, G Swan, spinifex grassland, pitfall trap (AM); 4♂♂ 11♀♀, Yara, 32°56’39“S 146°11’32“E, November-December 1997, G Swan & E Wapstra, mallee woodland, pitfall trap (AM); Southern Australia: 1♂, 7 km E of Para Wirra National Park, nr. Williamstown, 34.42S 138.51E, 31 October 1995, RT Schuh, G Cassis, & GF Gross, Site 95-39. (AM); Western Australia: 9♂♂ 7♀♀, Frank Hann National Park, Lillian Stoke Rock, 33.066S, 120.083E, 400 m, 5 November 1996, G Cassis & RT Schuh, Site 96-66, ex Dodonaea viscosa angustissima (AM); Northern Territory: 4♂♂ 3♀♀, 13.5 km E Stuart Highway, on Horseshoe Bend Road, 464 m, 28°08’53“S 133°17’59“E, 28 October 2001, G Cassis, RT Schuh, MD Schwartz, R Silveira & MA Wall, ex Dodonaea viscosa (AM); Trephina Gorge National Park, John Hayes Rockpool Campground, 580 m, 23°23’30“S 134°21’15“E, 25 October 2001, G Cassis, RT Schuh, MD Schwartz & R Silveira & MA Wall, ex Dodonaea viscosa mucronata, Site CA01L21H79 (AM).
Distribution: This species is broadly distributed in Australia, and is known from all states and territories, aside from the Australian Capital Territory (Fig. 34).
Host plants and biology: This species is known primarily from a number of subspecies of Dodonaea viscosa (Table 1). It has also been collected on a variety of plants, and appears to be polyphagous, although these plants are likely to be secondary food-preferences. MCDONALD (1960, 1963c) described its biology, and found that they are both pre- and post-dispersal seed predators. He also reported it often found amongst rocks, within the ‘seed shadow’ of their host plants. The adults are known to overwinter in dry places, and the larvae are sometimes found in grass tussocks.
Remarks: CHoerocoris paganus is one of the most distinctive and commonly encoun-tered jewel bugs in Australia. It can be readily identified on colour patterning alone; with the dorsum mostly red with iridescent blue-black markings. It can also be separat-ed from its congeners by texture, with the pronotum less densely punctate; the callosite region is medially impunctate (cf. uniformly and densely punctate in others). The male genitalia of C. paganus are also distinct, with the CAII bifid, each branch possessing a conical lobal sclerite.
description: Published as part of Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006, Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae), pp. 275-398 in Denisia 19 on pages 361-365, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.12996779