ARS | Publication request: Orius (Heterorius) vicinus (Ribaut)(Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) in western North America, a Correction of the Past

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 18, 2009
Publication Date: February 22, 2010
Citation: Lewis, T.M., Lattin, J.D. 2010. Orius (Heterorius) vicinus (Ribaut)(Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) in western North America, a Correction of the Past. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 112(1), pp 69-80.

Interpretive Summary: The minute pirate bugs (Orius) are important predators in crop systems, but identification of species within certain species complexes can be difficult. Scientists with USDA-ARS, Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory, Wapato, WA and Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR re-examined specimens of Orius minutus, a pirate bug that was accidentally introduced into North America from Europe, to confirm identification. Specimens collected from western North America between 1930 and 2008 were re-examined or newly examined, and found not to be Orius minutus but were instead a highly similar Old World species, Orius vicinus. These results clarify our understanding of the pirate bug complexes in North America, information that is necessary to make completely effective use of these predators as agents of biological control in crop systems.

Technical Abstract: Collection records for the Palearctic flower bug Orius (Heterorius) minutus (Linnaeus) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) in western North America date back to 1930. This species can be very similar in appearance to another Palearctic species, Orius (Heterorius) vicinus (Ribaut), and mistakes in identification are not uncommon in the literature. Positive identification can only be made by examination of the genitalia. We now report O. vicinus from western North America. Specimens belonging to the subgenus Heterorius were examined from collections made between 1930– 2008 in western Washington, western Oregon and western British Columbia. All specimens were identified as O. vicinus. Orius minutus is yet to be found in North America.