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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #375768
Research Project: Systematics of Hemiptera and Related Groups: Plant Pests, Predators and Disease Vectors

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Revision of the Neotropical stilt bug genus Metajalysus Stusak (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Berytidae), with descriptions of three new species

Author
item Henry, Thomas
item DELLAPE, P.M. - National University Of Argentina

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/8/2020
Publication Date: 4/14/2021
Citation: Henry, T.J., Dellape, P. 2021. Revision of the Neotropical stilt bug genus Metajalysus Stusak (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Berytidae), with descriptions of three new species. Zootaxa. 4958(1):690-701. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4958.1.44.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4958.1.44

Interpretive Summary: Stilt bugs represent a relatively small, worldwide family of both predaceous and plant-feeding true bugs. A number of species are serious agricultural pests on such crops as tomatoes, potentially causing millions of dollars damage, whereas many others are predators of certain pest species making them potentially important in biocontrol programs. In this publication, we describe three new South American species in a genus that previously contained only one species. At least two of the new species of these bugs prefer plants in the family Solanaceae, which includes egg plants, potatoes, and tomatoes. This paper will be of interest to ecologists studying insect- plant coevolution, biological control workers studying plant-predator interactions, and other researchers investigating the Neotropical insects and crop systems.

Technical Abstract: The stilt bug genus Metajalysus Štusák is revised and three new species are recognized. A neotype of the type species, M. horvathi Štusák, is designated and the new species M. clavatus, n. sp. from Argentina, M. graziae, n. sp. from Argentina and Bolivia, and M. pilosus, n. sp. from Ecuador are described. Digital images of the adult male and female and male genitalia are provided and a key to the species of the genus is given.