The Darth Maul bug (''Spilostethus hospes),'' is a species of seed bug found in Asia,

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

, and

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

. Its common name is a reference to the

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

character

Darth Maul Maul (originally Darth Maul) is a character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He first appeared in the prequel film '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' (1999). Maul returned in the animated television series ' ...

, who shares similar markings. It is sometimes referred to as the Milkweed Bug in Australia because it feeds on Milkweed plants, however the Large Milkweed bug refers to a different species - '' Oncopelltus fasciatus.'' The two bugs both fall under the family of

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 ...

and exhibit similar markings and behaviours. Large Milkweed bugs however, are found in North America, unlike the Darth Maul Bug. The distribution of the two bugs, and respective differing taxonomies suggest they are different species.

Taxonomy

The Darth Maul Bug falls under the order of

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 ...

– ‘true bugs’. They are unique amongst insects in having their mouthparts formed into a piercing beak or 'rostrum', used to suck juices from plants or other animals. The bug falls under the family

, which are distinguished by their oval or elongate shape, and impunctate bodies. All bugs in this family are either dark brown or brightly coloured, and like many others of the subfamily

Lygaeinae Lygaeinae is a subfamily of ground bugs in the insect family Lygaeidae. Genera Genera within this subfamily include: # '' Achlyosomus'' Slater Alex, 1992 # '' Acrobrachys'' Horvath, 1914 # '' Acroleucus'' Stal, 1874 # '' Aethalotus'' Stal, 1874 ...

, Darth Maul Bugs have distinct red/orange markings, as well as four segmented antennae. The bugs' genus

Spilostethus ''Spilostethus''Stål C (1868) ''Hemiptera Fabricana I. K. svenska VetenskAkad. Handl.'' 72. is a genus of bugs in the family Lygaeidae (seed bugs). Most species in this genus are from the Palearctic and Oriental regions. Species These species ...

is derived from the Greek words ‘spilos’ meaning spot or stain and 'stethos' meaning chest. Thus, spilostethus roughly translates to spotted chest, describing the patterned thorax region of bugs that fall under this genus. Finally, the species name ‘hospes’ derives from the latin word for guest. In the case of ''Spilostethus hospes'', this refers to the species feeding off a plant, making themselves a 'guest' on their host plant.

Ecology

The Darth Maul Bug feeds on a series of plant organs including leaves, stems, fruits and seeds. In Australia, they are often observed feeding on Red-headed Cotton Bush (''Asclepias currasavica''), Caustic Vine ('' Sarcostemma viminale'') and Swan Plant ('' Asclepias fruiticosa'' and '' Asclepias physocarpa''). An image of a Caustic Vine plant located within the

Sturt National Park The Sturt National Park is a protected national park that is located in the arid far north-western corner of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately northwest of Sydney and the nearest town is , aw ...

can be seen to the right hand side of the page. By feeding on the host plant, the Darth Maul Bug causes a decline in the vitality and productivity of the plant. This can lead to stunted growth, wilting and potential reduction of yield of the host plant. Darth Maul Bugs can communicate with others of its kind using vibrations conducted through plant stems and leaves, a behaviour not evident to the naked eye. To date, only one population of ''Spilostethus hospes'' has been identified to carry a male-killing

endosymbiotic An endosymbiont or endobiont is an organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism. Typically the two organisms are in a mutualistic relationship. Examples are nitrogen-fixing bacteria (called rhizobia), which live in the root ...

bacterium Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the ...

. This bacteria has been shown to only kill males in this population, which may be one of the reasons that show a higher frequency of females. Spilostethus hospes 4541832

Description

The Darth Maul Bug exhibits a red and black patterns on their back - a warning to the would-be predators that they are

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

. The patterns can vary quite a bit in different individuals. The bug is between 11 and 13mm long at full maturity.

Lifecycle

Darth maul bugs go through simple metamorphosis. Their life process has three stages: Egg: The eggs of the Darth Maul Bug are laid in distinctly shaped clusters that camouflage with the environment. These eggs serve as the protective encasing for the developing insect. Nymph: Upon hatching, young Darth Maul Bug is called a nymph. It resembles a miniature adult, but lacking in developed wings and functional reproductive organs. Adult: The nymph grows into a fully grown adult bug. This change is made evident by the bugs shell being harder and more colorful, thus signaling maturity and readiness for reproduction. Different nymphal stages can be observed on a host plant during summer.

Habitat and Distribution

The distribution of the Darth Maul Bug can be seen in the map to the right, based data from iNaturalist. It usually is found in similar climates to tropical rain forests, and is often seen feeding on plants in a range of habitats from forests and fields, to open plains and shrub-lands. The conservation status of the species is unknown.

References

External links

* Lygaeidae Insect pests of millets Hemiptera of Asia Hemiptera of Oceania Insects described in 1794 {{Lygaeoidea-stub