• Corpus ID: 55996443

A Review of the Ambush Bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae) of Michigan: Identification and Additional Considerations for Two Common Eastern Species

@article{Swanson2013ARO,
  title={A Review of the Ambush Bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae) of Michigan: Identification and Additional Considerations for Two Common Eastern Species},
  author={Daniel R. Swanson},
  journal={Great Lakes Entomologist},
  year={2013},
  volume={46},
  pages={2}
}

• D. R. Swanson
• Published 2013
• Biology
• Great Lakes Entomologist

A review of the two species of Phymatinae found in Michigan is presented, along with an identification key, distribution maps, and relevant literature. Also included are brief discussions concerning natural history, variation, distribution, past records, and two additional eastern species. ____________________ The ambush bugs are a group of predaceous insects named for their sedentary and surreptitious method of capturing prey. The robust habitus, incrassate terminal segments of the antennae, quadrate profemora, and raptorial forelegs render members of this group instantly recognizable. In the past, this group was afforded family status, but recent morphological and molecular studies have solidified the position of the Phymatinae within the Reduviidae (Weirauch 2008, Weirauch and Munro 2009). The ambush bugs are represented in the Nearctic region by 27 species in 3 genera (Froeschner 1988). Despite such modest diversity, the taxonomy of the ambush bugs is notoriously difficult to navigate. The confusion regarding the identity of past records, coupled with small interspecific morphological differences, makes identification a particularly arduous task. The works of Evans (1931) and Kormilev (1960) prove the most useful, although still difficult to apply, and the subfamily as a whole remains neglected compared to other heteropteran groups. This neglect carries over to the species of Michigan. Among those publications enumerated by O’Brien (1983, 1988) as dealing with the terrestrial arthropods of Michigan, only two treat phymatine species: the short regional faunal lists by Townsend (1890) and Hussey (1922) documented the Heteroptera from the vicinity of Constantine, Saint Joseph County and Berrien County, respectively. Yet, even the identities of these records are difficult to interpret within the context of this group. With the threefold purpose of clarifying records of the Phymatinae in Michigan, supplementing the survey of the Michigan Reduviidae (McPherson 1992) with the missing subfamily, and increasing the knowledge of the Michigan Heteroptera, I present herein a short review of the two species of ambush bugs known from Michigan. Materials and Methods The phymatine holdings of the two major university collections in southern Michigan were examined. County records were compiled, identification keys were modified, and the limited existing natural history information, both Michiganian and extralimital, was summarized. 1 Swanson: A Review of the Ambush Bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae) Published by ValpoScholar, 2013 2013 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 155 The identification of the 692 specimens included in this study was rendered or confirmed by the author. All specimens reside in one of the collections listed below unless otherwise noted. Collection dates indicate the earliest and latest adults examined and refer specifically to specimens collected in Michigan. Locations of Michigan counties from which specimens were collected are depicted in Figure 1. In a group plagued by a nebulous association of names, the need to justify one's assignment of a name to an organism becomes paramount. Bortolus (2008, 2012) and Vink et al. (2012) summarized the problems surrounding the Figure 1. The counties of the State of Michigan. 2 The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 46, No. 2 [2013], Art. 2 https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol46/iss2/2 156 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 46 Nos. 3 4 identification of specimens and the need for accountability and reproducibility in biological studies. Phymata Latreille, 1802 is a perfect example of a group where this necessity is crucial. The most recent revisionary work on the genus (Kormilev 1960) provides the basis for my identification of the Michigan species, and characters used in my key have been gleaned from that treatment. The figures of the habitus, connexiva, and terminalia (Figs. 2-4) are provided to facilitate identification in a group rife with confounded and misidentified taxa. Furthermore, the two included species are widespread in eastern North America, and therefore, visual representation fills a gap important for multiple disciplines, wherein various studies might involve these commonly encountered insects. The conspecific male and female used in the figures were chosen from the same collecting event, and the same four individuals were used for each figure. Collections are designated as follows: Daniel R. Swanson, personal collection (DRS); Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan (MSUC); and University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Insect Collection, Ann Arbor, Michigan (UMMZ).