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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Pentatomomorpha » Leatherbugs (Coreoidea) » Leaf-footed Bugs (Coreidae) » Meropachyinae » Merocoris

Genus Merocoris

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Works Cited

Merocoris, found on snowpack - Merocoris

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)

Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)

Infraorder Pentatomomorpha

Superfamily Coreoidea (Leatherbugs)

Family Coreidae (Leaf-footed Bugs)

Subfamily Meropachyinae

Genus Merocoris

Explanation of Names

Merocoris Hahn 1834

some sources list as Merocoris Perty 1830

Numbers

3 spp. in our area, all in the subg. Corynocoris Mayr 1866, 8 spp. in 2 subgenera total(1)

Identification

As a genus, form is distinctive. Identification of species appears to be difficult. Differentiating our spp. [adapted from (2)]:

Merocoris typhaeus

Head subtriangular, prolonged forward between the bases of the tubercles bearing the antennae;

interocular space with short tubercle near the inner border of each eye;

antennal segment I subclavate (somewhat club-shaped), tapering toward the base from the middle and finely pubescent

Merocoris distinctus

Head nearly quadrate (square), not prolonged forward as in typhaeus;

interocular space unarmed (no tubercle as in typhaeus);

antennal segment I stout, constricted basally only, and densely pubescent with hairs thick and bristle-like (compare typhaeus)

Differentiating from curtatus:

Antennal segment IV elongate, subequal to or longer than II and III taken together;

humeral angles obtuse

Merocoris curtatus

Head nearly quadrate (square), not prolonged forward as in typhaeus;

interocular space unarmed (no tubercle as in typhaeus);

antennal segment I stout, constricted basally only, and densely pubescent with hairs thick and bristle-like (compare typhaeus)

Differentiating from distinctus:

Antennal segment IV robust, shorter than II and III taken together;

humeral angles subacute, more or less bifid (deeply cleft)

Range

subg. Corynocoris across NA, the nominate subg. restricted to S America(1)

our spp.:(3)(4)*

M. curtatus TX-CA-CO

M. distinctus QC-MD-AL to AB-NM

M. typhaeus NY-FL-UT-CA

_________________________

*there is "an unusual lack of agreement... as to the taxonomic level of the categories within this genus"(4)

Works Cited

1.	Livermore L.J.R., Lemaître V.A., Dolling W.R., Webb M.D. Coreoidea species file online. Version 5.0

2.	New species of Merocoris (Merocoris) Perty from Brazil, with keys to known subgenera and species of the tribe Merocorini... Brailovsky H., Barrera E. 2009. Fla. Entomol. 92: 134‒138.

3.	Checklist of the Hemiptera of Canada and Alaska Maw, H.E.L., R.G. Foottit, K.G.A. Hamilton and G.G.E. Scudder. 2000. NRC Research Press.

4.	Catalog of the Heteroptera, or True Bugs of Canada and the Continental United States Thomas J. Henry, Richard C. Froeschner. 1988. Brill Academic Publishers.

Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 17 December, 2004 - 2:12pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Mike Quinn, Boris Bueche, drswanny, v belov
Last updated 28 October, 2021 - 7:22pm

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