The Fergusson squathopper, Messena sinuata Atkinson (Hemiptera: Eurybrachidae) and its egg parasitoids from Southern India
Author
Binoy, C.
Independent researcher, Sreeragam, Chereekandy, Elathur, Kozhikode, Kerala- 673303, India;
Author
Hiremath, Sangamesh R.
Department of Entomology, Thiruvananthapuram, India; & Department of Agricultural Entomology, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, India
Author
Prathapan, K. D.
Department of Entomology, Thiruvananthapuram, India;
text
Journal of Natural History
2024
2024-08-14
58
29 - 32
1069
1087
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2024.2381275
journal article
303340
10.1080/00222933.2024.2381275
d742aae4-f393-4c89-91c3-11bb78568700
1464-5262
13758107
Messena sinuata
Atkinson, 1889
(
Figures 1–5, 7
)
Messena sinuata
Atkinson 1889
, p. 339
–340. S.
India
, Trivandrum [BMNH]
Diagnosis
Sexually dimorphic. Males (
Figure 1
) have a wingspan of 31.00–
35.36 mm
. Head, pro- and mesothorax, legs grey with dark irregular markings; abdomen bright brick red dorsally. Venter with bluish-white transverse bands and lateral margins. Forewing mottled light grey with dark irregular markings. A diffused brick-red longitudinal band along middle of forewing, narrowed proximally, not reaching reticulate apical area. Hindwing with a preapical oblique white band. Females (
Figure 2
) are distinctly larger, with a wingspan of
41.72–41.76 mm
. The forewing is darker with diffused longitudinal brick-red band near costal margin, not reaching half of costa and up to two-thirds of length along middle. Hindwing has three large dark spots preapically.
Distribution
Messena sinuata
is endemic to south
India
and is known from
Karnataka
,
Kerala
and
Tamil Nadu
(
Map 1
).
Map 1.
Distribution of
Messena sinuata
from southern
India
. GKVK: Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra; UAS: University of Agricultural Sciences; ZSI: Zoological Survey of
India
.
Host plants
Cycas circinalis
L. (
Cycadaceae
),
Pongamia pinnata
(L.) Merr. (=
Millettia pinnata
(L.) Panigrahi),
Samanea saman
(Jacq.) Merr.
) (both
Fabaceae
),
Terminalia catappa
L.,
Terminalia paniculata
Roth
(
Combretaceae
),
Tectona grandis
L. f. (
Lamiaceae
), and
Mangifera indica
L. (
Anacardiaceae
) are newly recorded as host plants of
M. sinuata
. All known host plants of
M. sinuata
are trees and gymnosperms, belonging to different families, and hence it may be concluded that the bug is polyphagous on trees across families. The species is well adapted to live on the bark, causing no considerable damage.
Comments
Original description of
Messena albifasciata
(
Distant 1914
)
and its illustration (
Distant 1916
) based on a single specimen from the Nilgiri Hills, agrees well with the male of
M. sinuata
and they are synonyms, most probably.
Considering the contributions of H.S. Ferguson to the study of biota of the erstwhile Travancore, we propose the common name ‘Ferguson squathopper’ for
M. sinuata
.