Agonoscelis

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: ParaHoxozoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Cladus: Pancrustacea
Cladus: Allotriocarida
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Paraneoptera
Superordo: Condylognatha
Ordo: Hemiptera
Subordo: Heteroptera
Infraordo: Pentatomomorpha
Superfamilia: Pentatomoidea

Familia: Pentatomidae
Subfamilia: Pentatominae
Tribus: Agonoscelidini
Genera (1): Agonoscelis

Agonoscelis is a genus of stink bugs that are native to the Afrotropics and Australia, but one species is established in the New World. Some species are minor[1] or considerable pests.[2]

They have five nymphal stages, and are 8 to 12 mm long as adults. They attack (or control) weeds and herbs including horehound, thyme, flax and cotton, or the developing seeds of sunflowers or cereals like millet or sorghum.[3] They may swarm on a variety of other shrubs and trees, including coffee and cacao.[2] The scent gland is located at the end of the abdomen.
Species

There are some 19 to 22 species, which include:[4][5]

Agonoscelis erosa (Westwood, 1837)
A. e. atropurpurea Schumacher, 1913
Agonoscelis femoralis Walker, 1868
Agonoscelis nubila F. – Flower head bug
Agonoscelis puberula Stål, 1853 – African cluster bug (established in New World)
Agonoscelis pubescens (Thunb.) – Andat bug, Sudan dura bug, Pentatomid sorghum bug, African cluster bug, syn. A. versicolor (Fabricius, 1794)
Agonoscelis rutila (Fabricius, 1775) – Horehound bug
Agonoscelis versicoloratus (Turton) – Sunflower seed bug

References

Weaving, Alan; et al. (2004). Field guide to insects of South Africa (New ed., updated ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-77007-061-5.
"Agonoscelis puberula". tsusinvasives.org. Texas Invasive Species Institute. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
Slater, Randall T. Schuh, James A. (1996). True bugs of the world (Hemiptera:Heteroptera): classification and natural history (2. printing. ed.). Ithaca [u.a.]: Comstock. p. 35. ISBN 0801420660.
"Agonoscelis Spinola, 1837". biolib.cz. Biolib. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
compiled; SA, edited by Derwent Publications Ltd with the assistance of CIBA-GEIGY (1990). Thesaurus of agricultural organisms: pests, weeds and diseases (1st ed.). London: Chapman and Hall. p. 26. ISBN 0412372908.