Sweetpotato bug (Physomerus grossipes)

Sweetpotato bug (Physomerus grossipes) is a species of insect belonging to the family Coreidae. These brown-colored insects have black legs and, as adults, reach a length of 2 cm. They possess an oblong, cylindrical body, segmented antennae, and wings with distinct venation; they also feature scent glands located on the metathorax, and the tibiae of their hind legs are noticeably enlarged.

P. grossipes feeds by sucking sap from plant stems, which causes the plants to wilt and interferes with fruit production. Females lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves, on stems, or on grasses surrounding the host plant. The female guards both the eggs and the nymphs from predators—a notable example of parental care within the Coreidae family.



Despite this, 20% of the eggs are consumed by predators such as ants, while another 13% are lost to parasitism by wasps that lay their own eggs inside those of P. grossipes. Eggs that survive hatch within 15 days. The insect then passes through five nymphal stages over a period of 85–88 days before reaching adulthood.

The mother continues to care for the nymphs, which live in groups, and provides them with food—a behavior that suggests a social dimension. In some cases, mothers may even cooperate in rearing their offspring, or females without offspring of their own may assist in caring for the young of other females.

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Infraorder: Pentatomomorpha
Superfamily: Coreoidea
Family: Coreidae
Subfamily: Coreinae
Tribe: Acanthocorini
Genus: Physomerus Burmeister (1835)
Species: Physomerus grossipes Fabricius (1794)

SYNONYMS

Anisoscelis grossipes Fabricius (1794)
Cimex grossipes Fabricius (1794)
Coreus calcar Fabricius (1803)
Coreus oedymerus Burmeister (1834)
Lygaeus calcar Fabricius (1803)
Lygaeus grossipes Fabricius (1803)
Myctis grossipes Fabricius (1794)
Physomerus delineatus Walker (1871)
Physomerus oedymerus

PUBLICATIONS

Fabricius, J.C. (1794) In Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta secundum classes, ordines, genera, species adjectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Proft, Hafniae. Vol. 4, i-v, 1–472. Available from http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/82468#5

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 菲缘蝽
Chinese (traditional): 菲緣蝽
English: Sweetpotato bug, Large spine-footed bug, Squash bug
Hong Kong: 菲緣蝽
Indonesia: Kutu ketela
Japanese: キスジモモブトヘリカメムシ
Java: Kepik telo
Macao: 菲緣蝽
Taiwan: 菲緣蝽
Thai: มวนมันเทศ

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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