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

description: Tectocoris diophthalmus (THUNBERG 1783) (Figs 1f, 2 g-i, 45, 46, 47, 48) Cotton Harlequin Bug
Cimex lineola FABRICIUS 1781: 340 (n.sp.; junior homonym of Cimex lineola LINNAEUS 1758); FABRICIUS 1787: 281 (description); FABRICIUS 1794: 84 (description); VOLLENHOVEN 1863: 8 (synonymy); STÅL 1873: 19 (synonymy); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Cimex diopHtHalmus THUNBERG 1783: 30, pl. 2 fig. 45 (n.sp.) Tetyra lineola: FABRICIUS 1803: 135 (new combination) Tetyra cyanipes FABRICIUS 1803: 133 (n.sp.); WOLFF 1811: 171, fig. 165; BLANCHARD 1840: 159 (synonymy); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Cimex banksii DONOVAN 1805: 29 (n.sp.); DALLAS 1851: 16 (synonymy); VOLLENHOVEN 1863: 8 (synonymy); STÅL 1873: 19 (synonymy); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Scutellera scHoenHerri ESCHSCHOLTZ 1822: 99 (n.sp.); BURMEISTER 1835: 396 (list); GERMAR 1839: 133 (synonymy); VOLLENHOVEN 1863: 8 (synonymy); STÅL 1873: 19 (synonymy); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Scutellera banksii: GUÉRIN-MÉNEVILLE 1838: 1555 (new combination; description); GERMAR 1839: 133 (synonymy); HERRICH-SCHAEFFER 1839: 1 (description); AMYOT & SERVILLE 1843: 28, pl. 1 fig. 5 (description; synonymy); MONTROUZIER 1855: 91 (parental care); WESTRING 1858: 50 (stridulation); MONTROUZIER 1858: 243 (New Caledonia) Tectocoris cyanipes: HAHN 1834: 34 (new combination); DALLAS 1851: 16 (synonymy); VOLLENHOVEN 1863: 8 (description; synonymy; varieties) Tectocoris diopHtHalmus: HAHN 1834: 33 (new combination); DALLAS 1851: 16 (synonymy); MAYR 1866: 22 (synonymy); STÅL 1871: 617 (synonymy); DISTANT 1920: 144 (New Caledonia); SIMMONDS 1922: 36-38 (cotton pest; omnivory); BALLARD 1925: 542 (pest status); BALLARD & HOLDAWAY 1926: 329 (biology); TILLYARD 1926: 149, pl. 12 fig. 13 (diagnosis; habitus); BALLARD 1927: 604 (cotton pest); SIMMONDS 1928: 10-12 (cotton pest; Fiji); DAMMERMAN 1929: 2020 (biology); SCHOUTEDEN 1933: 47 (distribution); MCKEOWN 1933: 24 (maternal care); PENDERGRAST 1957: 22 (spermatheca); SZENT-IVANY & CATLEY 1960: 256 (host plant; New Guinea); MCDONALD 1961: 177 (male genitalia); MCDONALD 1963a: 30 (male genitalia); MCDONALD 1963b: 233, 236 (female genitalia); MCDONALD 1963c: 289-290, figs 29-31 (life cycle); KUMAR 1964: 43, 49 (male genitalia); BLACK 1968: 574 (distribution); SMITH 1978: 821-822 (gland chemistry); WILSON et al. 1983: 311-317 (biology); CARAYON 1984: 113-134 (androconial glands); MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 568, figs 78-80 (synonymy; morphology); STADDON et al. 1987: 227-234 (gland chemistry; morphology); JAVAHERY et al. 2000: 491 (biology); CASSIS & GROSS 2002: 603 (catalogue); NAU-MANN & STEINBAUER (2001): 12 (parasitoids); MILLAR 2005: 78 (glandular chemistry); MONTEITH 2006: 1135-1152 (maternal care) Scutellera cyanipes: BURMEISTER 1835: 396 (new combination); AMYOT & SERVILLE 1843: 40, 94, pl. 9 fig 58, pl. 24 fig. 167 (description; synonymy) Scutellera cyanipoda BOISDUVAL 1835: 624 (n.sp.); VOLLENHOVEN 1863: 8 (synonymy); STÅL 1873: 19 (synonymy); STÅL 1873: 19 (synonymy); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Scutellera tongae BOISDUVAL 1835: 624 (n.sp.); BLANCHARD 1840: 159 (synonymy); VOLLENHOVEN 1863: 8 (synonymy); STÅL 1873: 19 (synonymy); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Tectocoris gambiae WESTWOOD 1837: 14 (n.sp.); STÅL 1873: 19 (synonymy); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) PacHycoris lineola: GERMAR 1839: 133 (new combination) Scutellera cyanipes: AMYOT & SERVILLE 1843: 28 (new combination) Tectocoris lineola: DALLAS 1851: 16 (new combination); STÅL 1873: 19 (synonymy); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy); DISTANT 1899: 33 (synonymy); TILLYARD 1926: 149 (diagnosis); MCKEOWN 1942: 83 (biology); HORI 2000: 17 (biology) Tectocoris banksii: DALLAS 1851: 16 (new combination); WALKER 1867: 12 (synonymy) Tectocoris cyanipes: DALLAS 1851: 16 (new combination); VOLLENHOVEN 1863: 8 (description; varieties); WALKER 1867: 12 (distribution) Tectocoris bancksii: MONTROUZIER 1861: 60 (incorrect subsequent spelling) Tectocoris obliquus WALKER 1867: 13 (n.sp.); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Tectocoris pusillus WALKER 1867: 13 (n.sp.); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Tectocoris amboinensis WALKER 1867: 14 (n.sp.); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 19 (synonymy) Tectocoris diopHtHalmus rufus STÅL 1871: 617 (n.ssp.) Tectocoris diopHtHalmus tagalicus STÅL 1871: 617 (n.ssp.) Tectocoris diopHtHalmus scHoenHerri: STÅL 1871: 617 (subsp. arrangement) Tectocoris lineola banksi: DODD 1904: 483 (maternal care) Tectocoris diopHtHalmus cookiana KIRKALDY 1909: 306 (unnecessary nom. nov. for Tetyra cyanipes: BLANCHARD 1841) Tectocoris diopHtHalmus venusta KIRKALDY 1909: 307 (unnecessary nom. nov. for Scutellera cyanipo-da var.) Tectocoris purpureus: KNIGHT et al. 1985: 851-853 (incorrect subsequent spelling; glandular chemistry)
Diagnosis: Tectocoris diopHtHalmus is recognised by the following combination of characters: male dorsum mostly iridescent blue-green, with orange markings (Figs 1f, 45a,b); females mostly orange, with iridescent blue-green markings (Figs 1f, 45a,b); AIV longest segment; labium reaching abdominal SIV; male (Figs 47 a-d)and female genitalia as in generic diagnosis.
Description: Large species, males 13-18 mm, females 16-22 mm.
Colouration. Dorsum of males mostly iridescent blue-green, with orange markings, sometimes orange, or mostly orange, with iridescent blue-green markings (Figs 1f, 45a,b); dorsum of females mostly orange, with iridescent blue-green markings, sometimes uniformly orange (Figs 1f, 45a,b). Head: males orange to mostly iridescent blue-green, sometimes with purplish hue; females either uniformly orange; bicoloured morphs with clypeus orange, remainder iridescent blue-green; underside of head uniformly orange, sometimes with iridescent blue-green markings, or uniformly iridescent blue-green. Antennae: mostly fuscous, sometimes with iridescent green tinge. Labium: either uniformly fuscous, or in pale morphs with LI-LII orange, remainder fuscous. Pronotum: males orange to mostly iridescent blue-green, sometimes in darker morphs with orange spot at midline of callosite region; females either orange, or bicoloured, mostly orange, with anterolateral margins iridescent blue-green, with pair of large submedial iridescent blue-green, sometimes also with smaller sublateral blue-green markings. Scutellum: males orange to mostly iridescent blue-green, with purplish hue, intermixed with orange markings anterolaterally, mediolaterally, and subdistally, sometimes markings coallesced. Hemelytra: exocorium orange to iridescent blue, with purple hue. Thoracic Sterna: orange to orange with red-fuscous, sometimes with green iridescence. Thoracic Pleura: orange to iridescent blue-green, always with anterior margin of proepisternum orange; supracoxal lobes most often orange. Legs: femora often orange, sometimes fuscous-iridescent blue distally; tibiae and tarsi fuscous-iridescent blue with purplish hue. Pregenital Abdomen: either uniformly orange (Fig. 45c) to red-orange, or orange to red-orange with posterior 3/5 of lateral regions of SIII to SIV or SVI iridescent blue-green; male SVIII orange, sometimes with iridescent blue hue. Female Terminalia: uniformly orange to mostly iridescent blue-green.
Texture. Dorsum densely punctate with shallow punctures, ventral surface impunctate (Figs 1f, 45a,b).
Vestiture. Antennae: AI-AII weakly setose, AIII-AIV more densely setose with very short setae. Legs: femora with scattered short setae, ventral surface of tibiae with more dense short setae. Pygophore: genital opening with dense distribution of yellow setae.
Structure. Antennae: AII(a) just short-er than AI; AII(b) and AIV subequal in length; AIII longest segment. Labium: reaching between abdominal SIV to SV; LII longest segment; LI, LIII and LIV roughly subequal in length; male and female genitalia as in generic description.
Type material examined: Tectocoris pusillus WALKER: Holotype, ♂, ‘ New Caled’, ‘B.M. Hem Type No. 411’ (BMNH); Tectocoris obliquus WALKER: Holotype, ♂, ‘56-85’ ‘B.M. Hem Type No. 412’ (BMNH). The type of Tectocoris ambionensis WALKER is destroyed.
Other material examined: Queensland: 1♀, Newell Beach, 16°25’25“S 145°24’22“E, 29 April 1998, G Cassis, Site Q98-22 (AM); 1♀, Macgregor, 30 August 1988, CE Chadwick (AM); 2♀♀, Burrum Heads, 14-viii-1982, NW Rodd (AM); 1♀, Black Rock, N Townsville, 18 June 1991, T Woodger (AM); 2♂♂ 2♀♀, Torres Strait Islands, Moa Island, 20 February 1975, E Cameron, (AM): 1♀ Torres Strait Islands, Prince of Wales Island, 16 February 1975, E Cameron (AM); 11♂♂ 11♀♀, Sydney, 11 March 1992, G Hangay (AM); 1♂, Alstonville, April-May 1991, B Turner (AM); 2♀♀, Double Bay, Sydney, 4 February 1999, C Lemann (AM); 2♀♀, Avoca Beach, 24 February 1985, S Hunter (AM); 8♀♀, Hazelbrook, 1984, M Dingley (AM); 1♂, Bundjalong National Park, 32.24S 152.32E, 15 November 1993, G Cassis, ex beach wash (AM); 1♀, Ingleburn, 8 September 1985, R Bejsak (AM); 1♀, Mosman, Sydney, 5 August 1989, McBride (AM); Northern Territory: 1♂, East Point Reserve Lookout, 10 March 1997, M Hoskins, ex Hibiscus tiliaceus (AM); 2♀♀, Darwin, 14 December 1994, A Keast (AM); New Caledonia: 1♂, Noumea, 2-iii-1982, DJ Scambler (AM); Philippines: 3♂♂ 8♀♀, Marindupue Island, February-March 1991, L Layron (AM).
Distribution: This species is broadly distributed in Australia from tropical north Queensland (including the Torres Strait Islands) to southeast New South Wales (including Lord Howe Island). It is also found to the west in the Northern Territory (Fig 48). A single specimen was collected in metropolitan Perth. This species is found extralimitally in the southwest Pacific, and is also known from the Oriental region (Indonesia).
Host plants and biology: The biology of Tectocoris diopHtHalmus has been described by various authors (DODD 1904; MCDONALD 1963c; SMITH 1978); WILSON et al. 1983; STADDON et al. 1987; MONTEITH 2006). It occurs on a wide range of malvaceous plants, including Hibiscus and Malva species, Lagunaria patersonia, and cotton, on which it is known as a pest. We have found this species on L. patersonia on Lord Howe Island, where it is endemic (also on Norfolk Island). This plant has also been introduced to eastern Australia as a parkland tree, and in Sydney, T. diopHtHalmus is prolific on it in late spring and summer. Its primary host in the northern half of eastern coastal Australia is beach hibiscus, Hibiscus tiliaceus, as well as on island of Indonesia and southwest Pacific. It is also found in suburban gardens on Hibiscus cultivars along the eastern seaboard of Australia. The native distribution of Tectocoris diopHtHalmus is unknown, but distribution records, indicate it has spread further south in Australia over the past 50 years, possibly tracking plantings of malvaceous plants. Monteith (pers. comm.) has found this species commonly on BracHycHiton acerifolius (Malvaceae [formerly Ster-culiaceae]) in the Brisbane region, and on the inland “bottle trees“, B. australis and B. rupestris in the Roma district.
Remarks: Tectocoris diopHtHalmus is the most emblematic of all the Australian jewel bugs, particularly in eastern Australia where it is commonly encountered. Its colour variation is one of the most extreme of any true bug known to us; ranging from orange to metallic blue. It has a complex synonymy that has not been re-examined in modern times. The intrapopulation variation in colour (e.g., Fig. 1f) is an indication that the current synonymy is legitimate, and we have found that the male genitalia are invariant across the distributional range of this species; inside and outside of Australia.
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 384-388, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.12996779