Aurélio Mateus S L, Hickmann Frederico, Bernardo Ana Maria G, de Oliveira Cleber M, Rossetti Victoria Z, Wengratt Ana Paula G S, Corrêa Alberto S, Schwertner Cristiano Feldens
Dept of Entomology and Acarology, Univ of São Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (USP/ESALQ), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Do Amapá - Campus Porto Grande, Porto Grande, AP, Brazil.
Neotrop Entomol. 2025 Jun 17;54(1):73. doi: 10.1007/s13744-025-01280-8.
Euschistus heros (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is Brazil's most significant soybean stink bug pest, with outbreaks well-documented across various regions. However, during a collection expedition in soybean crops in Amapá State, Euschistus atrox (Westwood) was identified as the predominant Euschistus species in these areas. In this study, we characterized E. atrox both morphologically and molecularly, comparing it with E. heros. A laboratory experiment was designed to compare reproductive traits between the two species, and test for interspecific crosses. Female E. atrox exhibited lower fecundity compared to E. heros. The most surprising finding was that intercrosses between E. heros and E. atrox resulted in fertile offspring. We highlight the implications of these findings for species evolution and pest management in this critical group of insect pests.
英雄蝽（Euschistus heros）（Fabricius）（半翅目：蝽科）是巴西最重要的大豆蝽象害虫，在各个地区都有大量爆发的记录。然而，在阿马帕州大豆作物的一次采集考察中，暗黑蝽（Euschistus atrox）（Westwood）被确定为这些地区主要的蝽象种类。在本研究中，我们对暗黑蝽进行了形态学和分子特征分析，并将其与英雄蝽进行比较。设计了一项实验室实验来比较这两个物种的生殖特征，并测试种间杂交情况。与英雄蝽相比，暗黑蝽雌虫的繁殖力较低。最令人惊讶的发现是，英雄蝽和暗黑蝽之间的杂交产生了可育后代。我们强调了这些发现对这一关键害虫群体的物种进化和害虫管理的意义。
