Blissus leucopterus
| Blissus leucopterus | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Family: | Blissidae |
| Genus: | Blissus |
| Species: | B. leucopterus |
| Binomial name | |
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Blissus leucopterus (Say, 1832) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Blissus leucopterus also known as the true chinch bug is a small North American insect in the order Hemiptera and family Blissidae. It is the most commonly encountered member of the genus Blissus, which are all known as chinch bugs. A closely related species is Blissus insularis, the southern chinch bug.
The name of the chinch bug is derived from the Spanish word chinche. The word chinche is also used for the bed bug, and is derived from the Latin word cimex of the same meaning.
These bugs tend to gather on sunny open patches of turfgrass. Due to their small size, chinch bugs are hardly noticeable. Therefore, they become problems since they are considered pests that feed on stems of turfgrass.
Blissus leucopterus are approximately 4 millimetres (0.16 in) long when fully developed. The adults' bodies vary in colour from dark red to brown with white wings and red legs. Young nymphs are usually bright red and half the size of adults. A distinguishable feature is the white band found on the nymph's abdomen. This band will be covered with wings and changes colour to black during development.
Blissus leucopterus are native to the Americas. They are found throughout the US, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central Americas.
Blissus leucopterus feed on plants, both wild and cultivated, belonging to the grass family, such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, and corn. They suck the sap out of the growing plants. When the plants ripen or become dry, they travel to other growing plants to feed.
The lifespan of the Blissus leucopterus is a typically less than one year. The eggs of two generations are laid down from spring to summer, when they develop into adults. During the fall, the adults from the first generation die off, while the adults from the second generation retreat from the crops to look for overwinter shelters. The adults overwinter in any type of shelters they can find, including in hedgerows, road sides, bushy fence rows, edges of woodlands, and soybean stubble, under tree barks and bunch grass, and inside field mice nests. Once they emerge from their hibernation, they return to the crop fields to feast and breed before their death.
Blissus leucopterus prefers hot, dry, and sunny conditions, while moist, warm, and humid conditions are detrimental for their population; these conditions promote the growth of fungus which is fatal to them. Other elements that reduce their population is heavy rains. Developing nymphs that are hit with rain become trapped in the soils, killing them. Their natural predators include the big-eye bug (Geocoris bullatis), and the tiny wasp (Eumicrosoma beneficum), which feast and parasitize on them.
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Wikipedia