Desert Bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Thaumastellidae): New records and review of the distribution and habitat of this relict group.

The known distribution and habitat information of the three described species of the genus Thaumastella Horváth, 1896 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha: Pentatomoidea: Thaumastellidae) are reviewed. In addition a fourth, undescribed species is reported from South Africa (Western Cape). Thaumastella aradoides Horváth, 1896, is recorded for the first time from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and the states of Khartoum and Sennar in Sudan.

New records, diagnostics and preliminary checklist of the superfamily Pentatomoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from the Comoro Islands.

The following species are recorded from the Comoro Islands for the first time: 12 species of Pentatomidae: Pentatominae-Anoano pronotalis Cachan, 1952 (from Mayotte), Antestiopsis clymeneis cf. galtiei (Frappa, 1934) (Mayotte), Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister, 1835) (Mayotte), Bathycoelia rodhaini Schouteden, 1913 (Mayotte), Coquerelia ventralis Horváth, 1904 (Mayotte), Eurysaspis transversalis Signoret, 1851 (Anjouan, Grande Comore, Mayotte), Gadarscama ebenaui Reuter, 1887 (Anjouan, Grande Comore, Mohéli, Mayotte), Lerida annulicornis (Signoret, 1861) (Anjouan, Mayotte), Neoacrosternum validum (Horváth, 1904) (Grand Comore, Mayotte), Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mayotte), Piezodorus hybneri (Gmelin, 1790) (Mayotte), and Stenozygum mirabile (Signoret, 1861) (Mayotte); two species of Plataspidae-Brachyplatys hemisphaerica (Westwood, 1837) (Mayotte) and Coptosoma maculatum Westwood, 1837 (Mayotte); and one species of Scutelleridae-Hotea denticulata Stål, 1865 (Mayotte). The endemic pentatomine species Bathycoelia cuneifera Bergroth, 1893, syn.

Multiple and frequent trypanosomatid co-infections of insects: the Cuban case study.

Trypanosomatids are obligate parasites of animals, predominantly insects and vertebrates, and flowering plants. Monoxenous species, representing the vast majority of trypanosomatid diversity, develop in a single host, whereas dixenous species cycle between two hosts, of which primarily insect serves as a vector. To explore in-depth the diversity of insect trypanosomatids including their co-infections, sequence profiling of their 18S rRNA gene was used for true bugs (Hemiptera; 18% infection rate) and flies (Diptera; 10%) in Cuba.

Dimorphopterus blissoides (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Blissidae): recent spreading of a neonative species in the Pannonian Basin.

Dimorphopterus blissoides (Baerensprung, 1859) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Blissidae) is recorded for the first time from Slovakia and Iran. We provide also additional records of D. blissoides from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary and Romania, and review the distribution of the species.

Erthesina fullo (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae): old and new stories of an invasive stink bug.

The Yellow-Spotted Stink Bug Erthesina fullo (Thunberg, 1783) (Pentatomomorpha: Pentatomoidea: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Halyini), native in East and South-East Asia, was recently discovered introduced in both Europe (Albania, 2017) and South America (Brazil: So Paulo, 2020). We report two cases of interception of living specimens in the Czech Republic. The first specimen (Zln, 2021) was found in a sealed container with shoes imported from China, the second specimen (Prague, 2023) was recieved in a parcel sent from Poland.

Joppeicus paradoxus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Joppeicidae): a new alien species in the European Union?

Joppeicus paradoxus Puton, 1881 is the only representative of the family Joppeicidae. This tiny predaceous bug of around 3 mm long has a resemblance to members of the family Anthocoridae sensu lato. Herein we present an up-to-date distribution of the species, recording it for the first time in the Canary Islands (Fuerteventura Island) and in Yemen (Socotra Island).

A review of the fossil taxa originally assigned to Pyrrhocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).

The four described fossil taxa originally assigned to Pyrrhocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) are reviewed. Mesopyrrhocoris fasciatus Hong Wang, 1990 (correction of gender agreement) from the Lower Cretaceous of Laiyang Basin, Shandong, China, was reclassified as Cimicomorpha incertae sedis by Shcherbakov (2008), an opinion confirmed here. The status of Dysdercus cinctus Scudder, 1890 and Dysdercus unicolor Scudder, 1890 from the Eocene of Florissant, Colorado, USA, and their placement in Pyrrhocoridae, are doubtful.

Diversification of the phytophagous lineages of true bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) shortly after that of the flowering plants.

More than 95% of phytophagous true bug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) species belong to four superfamilies: Miroidea (Cimicomorpha), Pentatomoidea, Coreoidea, and Lygaeoidea (all Pentatomomorpha). These iconic groups of highly diverse, overwhelmingly phytophagous insects include several economically prominent agricultural and silvicultural pest species, though their evolutionary history has not yet been well resolved. In particular, superfamily- and family-level phylogenetic relationships of these four lineages have remained controversial, and the divergence times of some crucial nodes for phytophagous true bugs have hitherto been little known, which hampers a better understanding of the evolutionary processes and patterns of phytophagous insects.

Bizarre morphology in extinct Eocene bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

Newly discovered fossil bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) from the Eocene of Messel (Germany) and Green River (North America) exhibit an exaggerated morphology including prominent spiny humeral and anterolateral angles of the pronotum and a spiny lateral abdominal margin. Especially the humeral angles are unique; they consist of expansive, rounded projections with strong spines, which is a rare trait among pentatomids. A hypothesis for the function of this extreme morphology is defence against small vertebrate predators, such as birds or reptiles.

Halyomorpha picus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae): first confirmed record from Pakistan and two new junior synonyms.

We provide the first confirmed record of Halyomorpha picus (Fabricius, 1794) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Cappaeini) from Pakistan: Islamabad Capital Territory, and provide habitus photographs and electron scanning micrographs of the male genitalia of the voucher specimens. Two species previously described from Pakistan are found to fit within the morphological variability of H. picus and the following two junior subjective synonyms are proposed: Halyomorpha picus (Fabricius, 1794) = Halyomorpha punjabensis Ahmad Kamaluddin, 1977, syn.

External structures of the metathoracic scent gland efferent system in the true bug superfamily Pyrrhocoroidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha).

Pyrrhocoroidea represents an important group of true bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) which includes fire bugs, cotton stainers and other taxa widely used in experimental studies or known as pests. However, the morphology and phylogeny of Pyrrhocoroidea have been only poorly studied so far. Here, structures of the external scent efferent system of the metathoracic scent glands are examined in 64 out of 71 currently valid genera of Pyrrhocoroidea and scanning electron micrographs are provided for most taxa.

The genera emAgathocles/em and emSurenus/em (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae): tribal reassessment, redescription, new synonyms, and description of two new species.

The genus Surenus Distant, 1901 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Halyini) is revisited and found to be a junior subjective synonym of the genus Agathocles Stål, 1876 (currently Pentatominae: Rolstoniellini). The genus Agathocles and its type species, Agathocles limbatus Stål, 1876, are redescribed. Lectotype of Surenus normalis Distant, 1901 (= Agathocles normalis (Distant, 1901) comb.

On species of the genus emMacrosaldula/em (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Saldidae) of the Palaearctic Region, with description of emM. graziae/em sp. nov.

In this paper, we present new data on the genus Macrosaldula Leston Southwood, 1964 based on material held in the collections of the National Museum (Prague, Czech Republic) and the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg, Russia). Macrosaldula graziae sp.

Myxobdella socotrensis sp. nov., a new parasitic leech from Socotra Island, with comments on the phylogeny of Praobdellidae (Hirudinida: Arhynchobdellida).

The Socotra Archipelago (Yemen) is remarkable for unique ecosystems and high endemism, for which it is often referred to as the "Galápagos of the Indian Ocean". Here we describe a new parasitic leech Myxobdella socotrensis sp. nov.

Morphological diversity of the metathoracic spiracle in the Lygaeoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).

Spiracles are the openings in the exoskeleton of insects through which air enters into the respiratory system that is formed by a series of tubes called tracheae. They are primarily located on the abdomen, but can also occur on the thorax, including the metathorax. An insect metathoracic spiracle is usually composed of an external opening and a more internal filter apparatus.

Aphelonotus schuhi sp. nov., the first s--pecies of the family Pachynomidae from Puerto Rico (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).

Aphelonotus schuhi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pachynomidae: Aphelonotinae) is described from Puerto Rico based on a single male collected by flight interception trap.

Insect trypanosomatids in Papua New Guinea: high endemism and diversity.

The extreme biological diversity of Oceanian archipelagos has long stimulated research in ecology and evolution. However, parasitic protists in this geographic area remained neglected and no molecular analyses have been carried out to understand the evolutionary patterns and relationships with their hosts. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a biodiversity hotspot containing over 5% of the world's biodiversity in less than 0.

Review of the Neotropical genus with descriptions of three new species-group taxa (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Pentatomidae).

The genus Bergroth, 1911 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Chlorocorini) is redescribed and five species-group taxa are recognized, keyed, their diagnostic characters illustrated, and the distribution reviewed. Among the five taxa, two species and one subspecies are recognized as new: Bergroth, 1911 (Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname), (Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama), (French Guiana), Becker & Grazia-Vieira, 1971 (Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru), and (Guyana). The structure of the male genital capsule was found to be the only reliable character for identifying species-group taxa.

sp. n. and from Turkey (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae).

Psallus (Psallus) thomashenryi (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Phylini: Phylina) is described from southern Anatolia, Turkey. Illustrations of the dorsal habitus and male genitalia are provided. Its habitus is similar to other uniformly orange species of the subgenus Psallus Fieber, 1858, particularly Seidenstücker, 1966 from which it can be easily distinguished by the combination of extremely small size (2.

High Prevalence and Endemism of Trypanosomatids on a Small Caribbean Island.

We describe the monoxenous trypanosomatids parasitizing true bugs and flies on the island of Curaçao. Out of 248 examined true bugs belonging to 17 species, 93 individuals were found to be infected (overall 38% prevalence) by at least one trypanosomatid species (referred to as typing units; TUs). Out of 80 flies, six were infected.

Water striders (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Gerridae) of Romania with an update on the distribution of Gerris gibbifer and G. maculatus in southeastern Europe.

The Romanian fauna comprises two species of Aquarius Schellenberg, 1800, eight species of Gerris Fabricius, 1794 and one species of Limnoporus Stål, 1868, and we hereby update the distribution and provide insights on the phenology and ecology of all eleven species in this country. We furthermore update the distribution of the two closely related species Gerris gibbifer Schummel, 1832 and G. maculatus Tamanini, 1946 in southeastern Europe.

Phylogeny and the colourful history of jewel bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Scutelleridae).

Members of the family Scutelleridae (Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha: Pentatomoidea) are also called shield bugs because of the greatly enlarged scutellum, or jewel bugs because of the brilliant colours of many species. All scutellerids are phytophagous, feeding on various parts of their host plants. Due to lack of obvious synapomorphies and the failure to apply rigorous phylogenetic methods, the higher classification of Scutelleridae has been disputed for more than 150 years.

Review of the genus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae) with description of three new species and other nomenclatural changes.

The generic name Lanchnophorus Reuter, 1887, deemed for a long time to be unavailable as incorrect original spelling of Lachnophorus (in fact Lachnophorus Distant, 1903 is an unjustified emendation of the former), is restored as a valid name of the genus. Lachnesthus Bergroth, 1915, syn. nov.

Description of Phytomonas oxycareni n. sp. from the Salivary Glands of Oxycarenus lavaterae.

Phytomonas spp. (phytomonads) are a diverse and globally distributed group of unicellular eukaryotes that parasitize a wide range of plants and are transmitted by insect hosts. Here we report the discovery and characterisation of a new species of Phytomonas, named Phytomonas oxycareni n.