74 Invasive Stink Bugs and Related Species (Pentatomoidea)
the Pentatoma group and that Antestia should be placed in its own group which is, however, allied to
the genera of the Pentatoma group.” Gross’ Pentatoma group was broadly conceived containing mainly
those genera we recognize as belonging to the Nezarini. We believe the general facies, the dark color-
ation on the hemelytra of some species, and the ostiolar structure place Plautia in the Antestiini, but
a thorough phylogenetic study is needed to solve this problem. Gross (1976) also indicated that the
genus Axiagastus Dallas might belong in this tribe. It currently is treated as a member of its own tribe,
Axiagastini.
Otantestia Breddin differs from other antestiines by having the ostiole (and associated structures)
nearly obsolete; other than that, the remaining morphology and coloration clearly places this genus in the
Antestiini. Porphyroptera also differs from most antestiines by its much larger size. In fact, China (1929)
originally placed Porphyroptera near the catacanthine genera Catacanthus and Chalcocoris Dallas,
but Linnavuori (1982) transferred it to the Antestiini. The overall color of Porphyroptera is green with
some dark markings. More recently, Schwertner (2005) based primarily on characters of the male and
female genitalia, concluded that Porphyroptera is related to Nezara, and probably should be transferred
to the tribe Nezarini. Finally, Bergroth (1891) placed the Australian genus Novatilla Distant as a junior
synonym of Anaxilaus Stål. This was disputed by Distant (1900a), but Bergroth (1906a) reiterated his
opinion. Kirkaldy (1909) followed Bergroth, but more recent workers (Gross 1976, Cassis and Gross
2002) have treated the two as separate and valid genera. The Chinese and Indian species of Plautia were
reviewed by Liu and Zheng (1994) and Ahmad and Rana (1996), respectively. Linnavuori (1975, 1982)
treated most of the African genera of this tribe.
Species of the genus Antestiopsis Leston are considered to be major pests of coffee in Africa (Taylor
1945a,b; Michelmore 1949; Greathead 1966, 1969; Abebe 1987; van der Meulen and Schoeman 1990;
also see Chapter 10). Several species of Plautia are known to cause economic damage to various fruit
crops in eastern Asia (Moriya et al. 1987, Nakamura and Nishino 1999) and often are considered to be
nuisance pests because they overwinter in people’s homes.
2.2.10.7.9 Axiagastini Atkinson, 1888
Although Atkinson (1888) erected this tribe in a nomenclaturally available way, Stål (1876) first recog-
nized this group of genera as “Axiagastus et affinia.” The Axiagastini at present contains four genera
(Table 2.3): Acesines Stål, Axiagastus (Figure 2.28I), Indrapura China, and Oncotropis Stål; the latter
two are monotypic with Indrapura klossi China known only from Sumatra and Oncotropis carina-
tus (Stål) known only from the Philippines. Acesines contains five species, three of which are known
only from China, one is only known from India, and the last is known from both India and Thailand.
Axiagastus also contains five species, two of which occur in China and Southeast Asia and Indonesia,
and the remaining three occur in Indonesia and New Guinea.
Species of Axiagastus are rather robust and medium-sized, dark brown in color with some pale mot-
tling (Figure 2.28I). The head is typically shaped with the juga and tylus subequal in length; the lateral
margins of the head are not or only feebly reflexed. The rostrum reaches to or beyond the hind coxae. The
bucculae in male specimens are each provided with a large, curved tooth anteriorly. The thoracic sterna
are not sulcate, but, rather, the prosternum is weakly carinate medially, the mesosternum is distinctly
carinate medially, and the metasternum is flat (it is rather small due to the mid and hind coxae being
nearly contiguous). The anterior margin of each propleuron is developed into a relatively wide, obtuse,
oblique ridge on each side just behind head. The ostioles are relatively large; the ostiolar rugae are
long and slender, curving anteriorly, and becoming acuminate apically; and the evaporatoria are well-
developed. The anterolateral margins of the pronotum are distinctly, but narrowly, reflexed, this reflexion
continues as a series of punctures or sulcus along the anterior margin, setting off a collar-like structure
just behind head. The abdominal venter is unarmed basally.
Species of Oncotropis differ slightly from species of the other three genera in that they possess a dis-
tinct line of punctures submarginally along the anterior and lateral margins of the head and pronotum,
and the bucculae in males are angulate anteriorly but not spinose. In Acesines, the head is quite short and
broad, and the submarginal line of punctures on the head and pronotum are lacking. The rostrum reaches
between the meso- and metacoxae, and the bucculae are simple, not spined anteriorly. The anterior