Wheelerodemus muhlenbergiae Henry and Sweet (Hemiptera: Lygaeoidea: Blissidae): Distribution, Host Plants, and Seasonality
2016
Wheeler, A. G.
The chinch bug Wheelerodemus muhlenbergiae Henry and Sweet was described as a new species in 2015 based on collections from disjunct regions of Oklahoma (Arbuckle Mountains and nearby areas) and Texas (eastern Edwards Plateau). Adults are short winged (micropterous) and flightless. The known host plants are two species of the grass genus Muhlenbergia: M. lindheimeri in Texas and M. reverchonii in Oklahoma and Texas. The present paper provides additional information on the study sites and host plants, adds collection sites not included in the original description, and gives notes on seasonality. Adults overwintered and first instars were observed as early as late April. Second instars were present in late May, third instars in early to mid-June, and fourth and fifth instars in early July. The bug might be univoltine, but the adults observed in late October probably represented those of a second generation. Vascular plants and other insect groups with similar Arbuckle Mountains-Edwards Plateau range disjunctions are noted. As a hostrestricted, dispersal-limited, and habitat-specialized species, W. muhlenbergiae is a potential indicator of the ecological integrity of grasslands on limestone and sandstone substrates.
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