134 Invasive Stink Bugs and Related Species (Pentatomoidea)
and the Chinese tessaratomids by Zia (1957), little recent revisionary work has been done on the family.
There are a few scattered studies on the following genera: New World species of Piezosternum (Pirán
19 71), Pygoplatys Dallas (Magnien 2008, 2011; Magnien et al. 2008), Sciadiocoris Magnien and Pluot-
Sigwalt (Magnien and Pluot-Sigwalt 2016), and Tamolia Horváth (Carvajal et al. 2015a). There are two
genera currently classified in the Tessaratominae that should be removed. Megaedoeum Karsch should
probably be transferred to the Dinidoridae, and Aurungabada Distant should be placed as a junior syn-
onym of Halyomorpha (Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Cappaeini).
Only a few species of tessaratomids have had their biology studied (McDonald 1969b, Malipatil and
Kumar 1975, Schaefer et al. 2000, Dzerefos et al. 2009). All species studied to date are exclusively phy-
tophagous, feeding on both reproductive and vegetative parts of their host plants. Schaefer and Ahmad
(1987) compiled a list of their host plants, and Schaefer et al. (2000) reviewed and discussed species
of agricultural importance. Musgraveia sulciventris Stål is considered to be a minor pest on citrus in
Australia (McDonald 1969b). Tessaratoma papillosa (Drury), commonly called the lychee stink bug,
is a pest on lychee in China (Schulte et al. 2006). The Palearctic species recently have been catalogued
(Rider 2006b), and there is an internet website devoted to this family (Magnien 2015).
Species are univoltine and usually use more than one host plant during their life cycle (Schaefer et al.
2000, Dzerefos et al. 2009). Females of several species lay their eggs in masses of four rows (3-4-4-3 for-
mula), with an average of 14-28 eggs per clutch. Eggs of Encosternum delegorguei Spinola took an average
of 18 ± 9 days to hatch, whereas the nymphs took four months to reach the adult stage (Dzerefos et al. 2009).
Maternal care has been described for the genus Pygoplatys (Figure 2.25J) of the Tessaratominae
(Gogala et al. 1998) and three genera of the subfamily Oncomerinae in the Australian region (Monteith
2006, 2011). The oncomerine genera show a similar behavior as that described for species of Phloeidae,
where the nymphs are carried on the modified body of the female for a period of time (Monteith 2006).
In southern Africa, specimens of Encosternum delegorguei (Figure 2.16K), commonly called
Thongolifha, are collected in large numbers, dried, and used for human consumption. They are also said to
cure hangovers, but in this case, they are eaten raw (Dzerefos et al. 2009, Dzerefos and Witkowski 2014).
2.2.16.1 Key to the Subfamilies of Tessaratomidae
1 Ostiole small, oval, accompanied by undivided, spout-shaped ostiolar ruga (Figure 2.4D);
hemelytral membrane usually without closed cells basally, longitudinal veins arising from
base of wing membrane (Figure 2.2E); Old World except one genus (Piezosternum) also
found in Neotropics (Figure 2.16L) ..................................................................Oncomerinae
1’ Ostiole forming a wide ostiolar groove, accompanied by a bilobate ostiolar ruga with both an
anterior and a posterior lobe (Figure 2.4C) (strongly dorsoventrally flattened in Platytatus);
hemelytral membrane with closed cells basally, longitudinal veins arising from basal cells
(Tessaratomidae sensu stricto) .............................................................................................. 2
2(1) Scutellum subequilateral; tarsi two-segmented; Old World (Figure 2.16K) ....Natalicolinae
2’ Scutellum distinctly longer than wide; tarsi three-segmented; Old World (Figure 2.25J) ....
........................................................................................................................Tessaratominae2.2.17 Thaumastellidae Seidenstücker, 1960
This is another small family both in number (one genus and three species; Table 2.2) and size (less than
3.5 mm). Two of the species are known only from southern Africa, and the third species is distributed
in northern Africa and the Near East. Individuals of this family closely resemble small ground-dwelling
lygaeoids (Figure 2.16J) and, in fact, Horváth (1896) originally described Thaumastella as a lygaeid,
a taxonomic position in which this group remained until Seidenstücker (1960) noted that it lacked the
lanceolate ovipositor characteristic of most Lygaeidae. The Palearctic species recently have been cata-
logued (Lis 2006d).
In members of this group, the lateral margins of the head are rounded, not edged or reflexed. They have
five-segmented antennae and a four-segmented rostrum with segment I usually lying entirely between
the bucculae. The scutellum is subtriangular in shape, never enlarged (Figure 2.16J). The ostiolar rugae