PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 107(2), 2005, pp. 362-375 THREE SPECIES OF FACULTATIVE MYODOCHINI (LYGAEOIDEA: RHYPAROCHROMIDAE) ASSOCIATED WITH FIGS IN MEXICO Luis Cervantes Peredo and Sagrario Gamez-Virues Departamento de Entomologia, Institute de Ecologia, A.C. km. 2.5 Antigua Carretera a Coatepec #351, CP 91070 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, (e-mail:
[email protected]) Abstract. — The biology of the lygaeoids Myodocha intermedia Distant, M. unispinosa Stal, and Neopamera bilobata (Say) were studied in eastern Mexico between 2001 and 2003. Descriptions and illustrations of their immature stages are presented for the first time. Their life cycles under laboratory conditions and wild fig hosts are also included. These lygaeoids are reported as frequent facultative, terrestrial seed predators of Ficus spp. Resumen. — La biologia de los lygaeoideos Myodocha intermedia Distant, M. unispinosa Stal y Neopamera bilobata (Say) fue estudiada en campo, en el Este de Mexico, entre 2001 y 2003. Las descripciones e ilustraciones de sus estadios inmaduros se presentan por primera vez. Tambien, se incluyen datos sobre su ciclo de vida bajo condiciones de laboratorio e higueras silvestres hospederas. Se observe que estos lygaeoideos son depre-dadores facultativos terrestres frecuentes de semillas de Ficus spp. Key Words: Ficus, immature stages, life cycle, Lygaeoidea, Myodocha, Neopamera More than 30 years ago. Slater (1972) recognized the association of lygaeoids with figs. In this work, based on species from Africa and the Caribbean, Slater sep-arated this guild of insects into four groups, depending on the degree of specialization on figs: I. ARBOREAL SEED PREDA-TORS. Species that live in the fig trees themselves and feed on the seeds, while the latter are still in the syconium. II. OBLIG-ATORY TERRESTRIAL SEED PREDA-TORS. Species that live in the litter layer below the trees and feed only, or primarily, on Ficus seeds. III. FREQUENT FACUL-TATIVE TERRESTRIAL SEED PREDA-TORS. Species that live in the litter layer below Ficus trees and feed on the seeds, but feed on seeds of other plants as well; and IV. ACCIDENTAL TERRESTRIAL SEED PREDATORS. Species that feed primarily on other seeds but utilize seeds of Ficus when they occur in the insect's habitat. Since Slater (1972), there have been only a few publications treating the lygaeoids as-sociated with figs (Rodriguez 1998a, b, c; Brambila 2000; Cervantes and Pacheco 2003; Cervantes et al. 2004). These studies deal mainly with lygaeoids that correspond to the first two categories proposed by Slat-er. The present study is the first one to con-sider species of Myodochini that are fre-quent facultative terrestrial seed predators. Herein we report the life cycles of Myodo-cha intermedia Distant, Myodocha unispi-nosa Stal, and Neopamera bilobata (Say) including descriptions and illustrations of
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