Occurrence of some stink bug species (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) associated with rice fields in Argentina

Abstract

: Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are a group of about 5,000 species distributed worldwide, many of them phytophagous with economic implications as crop pests. Rice ( Oryza sativa L.) is one of the leading agricultural products for human consumption. In neotropical rice fields, hemipterans are the primary pests, with stink bugs being the worst affecting crop productivity, standing out the genus Tibraca Stål in terms of economic damage. In addition, rice crops may represent important feeding and mating sites for other stink bug species taxonomically related to Tibraca , which could play the role of potential pests, making it necessary to study the pentatomids associated with this crop in the Neotropics. This work aimed to report the presence of Glyphepomis adroguensis Berg, Hypatropis inermis (Stål) and Paratibraca spinosa (Campos & Grazia) associated with rice in the main rice-growing areas of Argentina. Material collected during 2017-2018 from commercial fields in north-eastern Argentina, the central rice-producing region, was identified. The rice variety on which the specimens were collected, crop status (growing season - post-harvest) and crop phenology were considered. As a result, the association of the mentioned species with rice in the provinces of Chaco and Corrientes, Argentina, is reported. Moreover, the genus Paratibraca Campos & Grazia and the species P. spinosa are reported for the first time in the country.