''Xanthochilus saturnius'', the Mediterranean seed bug, is a species of true bugs belonging to the family Rhyparochromidae. ''Xanthochilus'' is sometimes considered a subgenus of ''Rhyparochromus'', in which case this species is called ''Rhyparochromus saturnius'' or ''Rhyparochromus (Xanthochilus) saturnius''.

Distribution

This species is present in southern Europe (

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, European

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, South European

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) and in the Nearctic realm (Greenland, Canada, USA and northern Mexico).Thomas J. Henry and David Adamsk
Rhyparochromus saturnius (Rossi) (Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Rhyparochromidae), a Palearctic Seed Bug Newly Discovered in North America
Journal of the New York Entomological Society - Vol. 106, No. 4 (Winter, 1998), pp. 132-140

Description

''Xanthochilus saturnius'' can reach a length of . These small true bugs have distinctive markings of black-on-tan. The head and scutellum are black, while

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum ( dorsal), the prosternum ( ventral), and the propleuron ( lateral) o ...

shows a large black band and a band of stippled brown.

Elytra An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs ( Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes altern ...

are brown, with two black spots. Membrane has a large black mark too.Sharon J. Collman and Michael R. Bus
Emerging Pests in Pacific Northwest Ornamentals
Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook

Biology

Adults of these bugs overwinter in gregarious clusters. They emerge in spring (April or May). Adults and larvae feed together on the same plant and on fallen seeds. New adults can be seen by July. Main host plants are ''

Stachys ''Stachys'' is a genus of plants, one of the largest in the mint family Lamiaceae.Harley, R. M., et al. 2004. "Labiatae". pages 167–275. In: Kubitzki, K. (editor) and J. W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants ...

'' species and other ''

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savo ...

'', and ''

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral ( zygomorphic) or rarely radial ( actinomorphic) symmetry. The S ...

'' (''

Verbascum lychnitis ''Verbascum lychnitis'', the white mullein, is a flowering plant in the figwort family ( Scrophulariaceae) native to Asia and Europe. It has naturalized in parts of North America. The species was first formally named by Carl Linnaeus Car ...

'').

References

Lygaeoidea Hemiptera of Europe Hemiptera of North America Insects described in 1790 Taxa named by Pietro Rossi {{Pentatomomorpha-stub