Graphosoma italicum

Graphosoma italicum is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is also known as the Striped bug (or Italian striped bug) and Minstrel bug.

Graphosoma italicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hemiptera
Suborder:
Heteroptera
Superfamily:
Pentatomoidea
Family:
Pentatomidae
Genus:
Graphosoma
Species:
G. italicum
Binomial name
Graphosoma italicum
(Müller, 1766)
Synonyms

Cimex italicus Müller, 1766
Cimex nigrolineatus Fabricius, 1781
Tetyra schangini Gebler, 1817
Scutellara lineata v. flavipes Mulsant & Rey, 1865
Graphosoma lineatum v. reductum Horváth, 1901
Graphosoma italicum v. ochraceum Royer, 1923
Graphosoma italicum v. obscurum Stipanek, 1926
Graphosoma italicum f. soosi Halaszfy, 1953
Graphosoma italicum v. nigriscutellatum Halaszfy, 1955
Graphosoma italicum f. flavolineatum Halaszfy, 1955

Description

G. italicum can reach a length of 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in). The body is almost round, with a large shield. The basic color of the upperside of the body is red, with wide black longitudinal stripes. The pronotum has six black bands. The antennae are black. Also the sides of the abdominal segments (connexivum) are red with many small black spots. The legs are mostly black, which distinguishes it from its relative, G. lineatum.

Taxonomy

Graphosoma italicum had been regarded as either a subspecies, or a synonym, of G. lineatum for over 100 years, so nearly all of the existing literature prior to 2007 referred to this species under the name lineatum. The validity of G. italicum was reestablished via DNA analysis, which demonstrated that the sister species to G. italicum is G. rubrolineatum, while G. lineatum is more closely related to G. semipunctatum.[1][2][3]

Subspecies
  • G. i. italicum (Müller, 1766) - nominate subspecies
  • G. i. sardiniensis Lupoli, 2017[3] - with reddish legs, similar to G. lineatum, and endemic to Sardinia.

Similar species
  • Graphosoma lineatum (Linnaeus, 1758) - The legs are orange. The distribution is restricted to Northern Africa and Sicily.
  • Graphosoma semipunctatum (Fabricius, 1775) - The legs are orange, the red and black bands are interrupted on the pronotum, where they form black points. The distribution is restricted to the Mediterranean region.
  • Graphosoma melanoxanthum Horvath, 1903 - Dark connexivi with small red points, it is distributed in South Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Distribution

G. italicum is distributed across the Western Palearctic and occurs in the entire Mediterranean area, with the northern limit of distribution fluctuating strongly. In recent decades, the northern border in western and central Europe has expanded strongly to the north, so that the species now occurs as far as the North Sea and Baltic Sea (Jutland and southern Sweden). In Germany, the type occurs everywhere with exception of the northwest and is not rare regionally. In Austria, it is widespread, but only locally frequent. The insects populate open to half-shady areas in dry to more humid habitats. The subspecies G. i. sardiniensis occurs only in Sardinia.

Biology

G. lineatum is an insect of warm and sunny areas. It prefers warm slopes and meadows located on south-facing slopes. The orange and black warning colours (aposematism) indicate that the insects are foul-tasting, protecting them from predators. The nymphs do not have the orange-black stripe pattern, instead they are mostly brownish. These shield bugs are frequently found on the umbels of Apiaceae (Daucus, Heracleum, Anthriscus, Foeniculum, etc.), plants which themselves are chemically-protected.

  • Nymph
  • mating (dorsal view)
  • mating (ventral view)

References
  1. Ribes, J., Pagola-Carte, S. & Zabalegui, I. (2008) On some Palearctic Carpocorini (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae). Heteropterus Revista de Entomología 8(2): 155-169.
  2. R. Lupoli & F. Dusoulier (2006) Les Punaises Pentatomoidea de France. Ancyrosoma ISBN 9782953666113
  3. R. Lupoli, Graphosoma lineatum (L., 1758) and G. italicum (O.F. Müller, 1766), two valid and distinct species, probably derived from the Zanclean mediterranean transgression (Hemiptera Pentatomidae). L'Entomologiste T73 n°1 (2017) pp. 19-33.
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