Horehound Bug

Phil in NSW
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Horehound Bug
Horehound Bug

Agonoscelis rutila
Family: Pentatomidae (stink bugs)
Order: Hemiptera

Although an Australian native insect, this bug usually feeds on the sap of introduced Horehound plants, or others in the mint family (Lamiaceae) sometimes causing wilting. Although they prefer Lamiaceae, they are known to aggregate on a variety of other plants. In this case I think it is a different plant family; Billy Goat Weed, Ageratum sp. in the family Asteraceae. They also feed on various seeds including the Horehound.

The species is quite communal and aggregates with others of the species on the target plants. It has the capability to control the spread of the Horehound plant, which is considered to be a weed. However the Bug is the target of parasitoid wasps including the introduced egg parasitoid, Trissolcus basalis. Ironically this wasp was introduced to Australia to control another bug, the Green Vegetable Bug but has turned to preying on the native Horehound bug (and 25 other native bugs as well). So it seems that an introduced wasp is preventing a native bug from controlling an introduced weed!

This was a focus stacked image from 46 individual handheld shots using a 90mm Sony lens and a Sony A7R with flash. The stacking was done using Boltnev and Kacher's "Focus Stacker" app.


References:
Loch AD & Walter GH (1999) Multiple host use by the egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) in a soybean agricultural system: biological control and environmental implications. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 1: 271-280.


Woodlands Historical Park
whp.altervista.org/weeds/marrubium-vulgare.php


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Taken on: May 31, 2024
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Camera: Sony ILCE-7RM4, f/2.8, 1/40 sec, 90mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Sony ILCE-7RM4
Lens: Sony FE 90mm F2.8 OSS
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure Time: 0.025 sec (1/40)
Focal Length: 90mm
ISO: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On, Return not detected
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
Metering Mode: Spot
White Balance: Manual
Light Source: Flash
Contrast: High
Color Space: Uncalibrated
Software: Adobe Lightroom 7.2 (Macintosh)
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