''Geocoris'' is a genus of

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s in the family Geocoridae (although in the past the geocorids were subsumed as a subfamily under the family "

Lygaeidae The Lygaeidae are a family in the Hemiptera (true bugs), with more than 110 genera in four subfamilies. The family is commonly referred to as seed bugs, and less commonly, milkweed bugs, or ground bugs. Many species feed on seeds, some on sap or ...

"). Commonly known as big-eyed bugs, the species in ''Geocoris'' are beneficial

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

s, but are often confused with the true chinch bug, which is a pest. There are more than 140 described species in ''Geocoris''.

Description

Big-eyed bugs are true bugs in the order

Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from ...

. The two most common North American species are '' Geocoris pallens'' and ''

Geocoris punctipes ''Geocoris punctipes'', the big-eye bug, is a species of big-eyed bug in the family Geocoridae. It is found in the Caribbean, Central America, North America, Oceania, and South America. References External links

* Lygaeoidea Hemipter ...

''. Both are

predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

and occur in many

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s, including fields, gardens, and turf grass. Big-eyed bugs are considered an important predator in many agricultural systems and feed on

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

s, insect eggs, and small insects such as

pink bollworm The pink bollworm (''Pectinophora gossypiella''; ) is an insect known for being a pest in cotton farming. The adult is a small, thin, gray moth with fringed wings. The larva is a dull white caterpillar with eight pairs of legs with conspicuous pin ...

, cabbage loopers, and

whiteflies Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described. Description and taxonomy The A ...

. Adult big-eyed bugs are small (about ) black, gray, or tan with proportionately large eyes.

Egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

s are deposited singly or in clusters on leaves near potential prey. They develop with incomplete

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...

(there is no

pupa A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

) and take approximately 30 days to develop from egg to adult depending on temperature. Both

nymphs A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

and adults are predatory, but can survive on nectar and honeydew when prey are scarce. Big-eyed bugs, like other true bugs, have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed by

stabbing A stabbing is penetrating trauma, penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. ''Stab'' connotes purposeful action, as by an Assassination, assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself ...

their prey and sucking or lapping the juices. Although their effectiveness as predators is not well understood, studies have shown that nymphs can eat as many as 1600

spider mite Spider mites are members of the family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. They are part of the subclass Acari (mites). Spider mites generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, a ...

s before reaching adulthood, while adults have been reported consuming as many as 80 mites per day.

Selected species

* '' Geocoris atricolor'' Montandon, 1908 * '' Geocoris bullatus'' (Say, 1832) (large big-eyed bug) * '' Geocoris discopterus'' Stal, 1874 * '' Geocoris floridanus'' Blatchley, 1926 (Florida big-eyed bug) * '' Geocoris frisoni'' Barber, 1926 * '' Geocoris grylloides'' (Linnaeus, 1761) - type species (as ''Cimex grylloides'' L.) - mainland Europe * '' Geocoris howardi'' Montandon, 1908 * '' Geocoris limbatus'' Stal, 1874 * '' Geocoris megacephalus'' (Rossi, 1790) * '' Geocoris pallens'' Stal, 1854 (western big-eyed bug) * ''

* Lygaeoidea Hemipter ...

'' (Say, 1832) (big-eye bug) * '' Geocoris uliginosus'' (Say, 1832)

References

External links

''Geocoris'' spp.
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site {{Taxonbar, from=Q3101025 Pentatomomorpha genera Insects used as insect pest control agents Taxa named by Carl Fredrik Fallén

Description

Selected species

See also

References

External links