Tip Wilter, Leaf Footed Bugs, Squash Bugs - Family Coreidae
Quite a number of bugs in this family can easily be found in Brisbane. However, some of them look similar and hard to be identified. They are mostly from 10 to 25mm in body length.
- Clown Bugs - the gum tree tip wilter
Family Coreidae can be distinguished from the Lygaeidae by their forewings which have many veins. Coreidae has head narrower and most often shorter than pronotum, which can be distinguished from Alydidae have a head that is nearly as wide as and as long as the pronotum.
Some species in this family with hind legs expanded and somewhat leaf-like, and those are commonly called Leaf Footed Bugs. Their antennae are four segmented.
Some species in this family called Tip wilters because they suck out the plant juices just below the tip of a new branch causing it to droop and wilt soon afterwards. They are common pest species in many crop plants as well as garden plants and vegetables.
Coreid adults are relatively slow moving and are seen on the tips of shoots. Nymph stages are fast moving. All of them are with strong repellent odours.
We found quite a number of different coreid species in Brisbane. They are in two sub-families as listed below.
Subfamily AGRIOPOCORINAE
- Wingless Coreid Bug
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- Agriopocoris sp., body length 10mm
- During early summer in Alexandra Hill, on a young Acacia tree, we found quite a number of this bugs resting in the stem. They are brown to dark brown in colour. Their adults are wingless, look like the nymphs of other bugs in this family. More information and pictures can be found in this page.
- Eucalyptus Tip Bug
- Amorbus obscuricornis, nymph and adult, length 20mm
- Colourful bug nymph, found on 23 March 01 in Wishart bushland. We want to find out what bug it is so we bring it home. Few days later, after the last molting, it turn into a Eucalyptus Tip Bug. More information please click here.
- Clown Bug
- Amorbus sp., nymph and adult, body length 15mm, 22mm
- We found this large bug (2nd picture) in early summer, it was standing on the top of a small plant with one hind leg extended on one side. Its another hind leg is missing. It did not change it posture even we disturbed. The bug is reddish brown in colour, with strong and spiny hind legs. Then we found that this bugs can be found on some young tips of gum trees. More pictures and information can be found in this page.
- Squash Bug
- Amorbus alternatus , 25mm
- This bug looks similar to the Clown Bug shows about, however, it is a bit larger and the wings veins are different. We found this once in Wishart bushland.
- Wilted-tip-mimicking Squash Bug
- Amorbus angustior, body length 20mm
- This bug was found on alone White Hill on Oct 2004. It was hanging upside-down on a gum tree new shot, mimicking a dry leaf remain of a wilted tip. The bug has a round and flat abdomen. More pictures and information please click here.
- Crusader Bug
- Mictis profana, nymph, adult, length 20mm, 25mm
- This bug is dark brown in colour and with a diagonal white cross on its back like the Crusader's shield. Its hind legs are thick and strong. On day time I find many of them feeding on plants just do not care if there are any predators. More information click here.
- Fruit-spotting Bug
- Amblypelta sp. body length nymph 15mm, adult 20mm
- This bug has pale green body and legs. Its thorax and front wing covers are pale-brown in colour. Its legs and antenna are brown in colour with a bright yellow segments near the tips. We only saw those bugs a few times from late summer to early winter. We found them on Hibiscus plants and other plants. More pictures and information please also find in this page.
- Cotton Plant Bug, False Stainer
- Aulacosternum nigrorubrum, Nymph and adult, length 15mm, 20mm
- This Cotton Plant Bugs easily found on the Hibiscus plants in our back yard. The bugs are red orange in colour with black legs. They are slow moving, always found sucking the juice from the young shoots or flower buds. On early summer 2000, we recorded this bug lay about ten eggs on the Hibiscus leave. A month later, some young bugs are found in the same place. We recorded their growth. To see more details click here.
- Large Squash Bug
- ? sp., body length nymph 15mm, adult 25mm
- We found this large clown bugs along Bulimba Creek in Yugarapul Park during summer season. The bugs are brown in colour, with strong hind legs and round shoulder. They were found on different plants so we are not sure what is their host plant.
