458 Invasive Stink Bugs and Related Species (Pentatomoidea)
9.4 Oebalus insularis Stål^3
1857 Pentatoma geographica: Guėrin-Méneville. Ord. Hém. Het. Latr. Paris 7: 369–370. Misidentification.
1872 Oebalus insularis Stål, K. Svens. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 10(4): 22 (Cuba); Sailer, 1957, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 59: 41.
1893 Mormidea Guerini Lethierry and Severin, Cat. Gen. Hém. 1: 123. New name for Pentatoma geographica:
Guérin-Méneville, 1857, not Fabricius, 1803, Syst. Rhyn., pp. 159–160. (Synonymized by Sailer, 1944, Proc. Ent.
Soc. Wash. 46: 119).
1909 Solubea insularis: Kirkaldy, Cat. Hem. 1:61.
1914 Mormidea guerini: Barber, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 33: 522.
1932 Solubea insularis: Barber and Bruner, J. Dept. Agr. Puerto Rico 16: 252.
This species was described by Stål in 1872 from Cuba (p. 22). Prior to its recent discovery in large numbers
in Florida (Cherry and Nuessly 2010), it also was listed from Mexico and various locations in South and
Central America and the Caribbean (Barber and Bruner 1932, Barber 1939, Sailer 1944, King and Saunders
1984). Sailer (1944) listed it from Florida, as reported by Barber (1914, 1939) and Barber and Bruner (1932),
but we have not been able to confirm this earlier record. It is primarily a rice pest (e.g., Essig 1928, King and
Saunders 1984, Pantoja et al. 1999, Vivas and Notz 2010) but will attack other plants including sorghum (King
and Saunders 1984, Cherry et al. 2013, Nuessly et al. 2013) and wild Gramineae (King and Saunders 1984).
Oebalus insularis was reported from Florida rice fields by Cherry and Nuessly (2010) who noted that
it first was observed in 2007. During 2008 and 2009, they conducted an extensive survey of rice fields in
southern Florida and found that it occurred in all fields sampled and was the second most abundant spe-
cies comprising 20% of all stink bugs collected; it also was widespread and well established. As far as
they knew, this species had not been reported in commercial rice fields in other states. Cherry and Wilson
(2011) studied flight activity of this bug throughout the year from 1 January 2008 through 1 January 2010.
The life history of this species is similar to that of Oebalus pugnax (McPherson and McPherson 2000).
The bugs become active early in the year feeding on wild grasses in and around the rice fields and invade
the rice when the crop begins to flower. They feed on the developing grains during the milk and dough
stages and can cause empty or sterile grains (King and Saunders 1984) with the net effect being lower
panicle weight (Pantoja et al. 1993). Feeding also can cause discoloration of the grains (pecky rice) (King
and Saunders 1984). Economic injury levels and economic threshold for rice have been determined for
this bug (Vivas and Notz 1010).
This species has been reared on rice in the laboratory under controlled conditions from egg to adult,
and the incubation period and nymphal stadia have been determined; also determined have been the
preovipositional and ovipositional periods and fecundity (Pantoja et al. 1999).
9.5 Oebalus ypsilongriseus (De Geer)^3
1773 Cimex ypsilon-griseus De Geer, Mem. Hist. Ins. 3: 333–334, pl. 34, fig. 9. (Surinam).
1790 Cimex litteratus Gmelin, Systs. Nat. 1(4): 2148. Unnecessary new name for Cimex ypsilongriseus De Geer, 1773.
1803 Cimex inscriptus Fabricius, Syst. Rhyn., p. 159. [Synonymized By Stål, 1868, K. Svens. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 7(11): 28].
1862 Oebalus Ypsilon griseus: Stål, Stett. Ent. Zeit. 23(1–3): 102.
1878 Oebalus ypsilonoides Berg, Hem. Argentina, An. Soc. Cient. Arg. 5(6): 302–303. (Synonymized by Sailer, 1944,
Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 46: 116).
1909 Solubea ypsilongriseus: Kirkaldy, Cat. Hem. 1: 62.
1909 Solubea ypsilonoides: Kirkaldy, Cat. Hem. 1: 62. (Synonymized by Sailer, 1957, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 59: 41).
1944 Solubea grisescens Sailer, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 46: 118–119, pl. 10, figs. 3, 12. (Synonymized by Vecchio et al.,
1994, Rev. Bras. Ent. 38: 101–108).
1957 Oebalus ypsilongriseus: Sailer, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 59: 41.
(^3) Synonomy from Sailer (1944).