Blissus minutus (Blatchley) and Toonglasa umbrata (Distant): Seldom-collected native chinch bugs (Hemiptera: Lygaeoidea: Blissidae) as colonists of the African bunchgrass Eragrostis curvula, and their association with other grasses in the Southern United

2005·5 MB·

by  A G Wheeler

PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
107(2), 2005, pp. 336-345
BLISSUS MINUTUS (BLATCHLEY) AND TOONGLASA UMBRATA (DISTANT):
SELDOM-COLLECTED NATIVE CHINCH BUGS
(HEMIPTERA: LYGAEOIDEA: BLISSIDAE) AS COLONISTS OF THE
AFRICAN BUNCHGRASS ERAGROSTIS CURVULA, AND THEIR
ASSOCIATION WITH OTHER GRASSES IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES
A. G. Wheeler, Jr.
Department of Entomology, Soils, and Plant Sciences, Clemson University,
Clemson, SC 29634-0315, U.S.A. (e-mail: awhlr(2)clemson.edu)
—
Abstract. Weeping lovegrass {Eragrostis curvula; Poaceae), an African bunchgrass
first introduced into the United States in the late 1920s, has acquired a diverse insect
fauna in the southern states. Among the little-known native species that have colonized
this chloridoid grass are the chinch bugs Blissus minutus (Blatchley) and Toonglasa um-
brata (Distant). Known previously only from Florida, B. minutus is reported for the first
time from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. This
multivoltine grass generalist was collected most often on E. curvula (293 collections).
Adults were found on 34 grasses of the subfamilies Aristoideae, Chloridoideae, and Pan-
icoideae, with nymphs observed on 21 species, mainly chloridoids and panicoids. Toon-
glasa umbrata was collected in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas from seven native
grasses and one introduced grass, in addition to weeping lovegrass (subfamilies Chlori-
doideae, Panicoideae, and Pooideae). It was syntopic with B. minutus on E. curvula in
parts of Oklahoma and Texas and was the only blissid found on weeping lovegrass in
more arid regions (Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas).
Key Words: Insecta, Lygaeoidea, chinch bugs, weeping lovegrass, Poaceae, host expan-
sion, novel hosts
Weeping lovegrass, Eragrostis curvula sociated with weeping lovegrass (Wheeler
(Schrad.) Nees (Poaceae), is an African 1999, 2003; Wilson and Wheeler, in press)
bunchgrass that was obtained in the late are the chinch bugs Blissus minutus
1920s and tested in the mid-1930s for in- (Blatchley) and Toonglasa umbrata (Dis-
troduction into the southwestern United tant).
States to help reclaim rangelands depleted I first found B. minutus (May 1996) in
by years ofdrought and overgrazing (Crider crowns of a native grass. Andropogon vir-
1945). It began to be planted in southeast- ginicus L., in Georgia but discovered that
ern states, mainly for erosion control along the blissid could be detected more easily by
highways, in the 1940s and 1950s (Wheeler sampling weeping lovegrass, especially in
1999). Numerous native insects have colo- or near the fall-line Sandhills from southern
nized this exotic grass, especially hemipter- North Carolina to eastern Alabama. Era-
ans that develop within the extensive grostis curvula thus was used as an "indi-
crowns. Among the little-known native in- cator" plant for my attempt to delimit the
sects that make up the cryptic diversity as- southeastern distribution of a species
VOLUME NUMBER
107, 2 337
known previously only from Florida. I also Although "chinch bugs" sometimes is
sampled native grasses to elucidate host- reserved for species of the genus Blissus, I
plant relationships for a blissid whose use this common name in a broad sense
nymphal hosts were unknown. Southwest- (e.g.. Slater and Wilcox 1973, Slater 1976)
ern states were included in my survey after to refer to members of the Blissidae (for-
B. mimitus (1999) and T. wnbrata (2000) merly the lygaeid subfamily Blissinae; see
were found on weeping lovegrass in Henry 1997). The names and subfamilies of
Oklahoma. Herein I summarize the distri- grasses follow Soreng et al. (2004).
bution records obtained from surveys of B.
minutus in southern states and T. wnbrata Blissus minutus Blatchley
in the Southwest, record the native and non- Blissus minutus was described from Dun-
native grasses that serve as hosts ofthe blis- edin (Pinellas County). Florida, by Blatch-
sids, and provide notes on their seasonal ley (1925a) as Isclmoclennis pusillus and
histories. was renamed /. minutus because ol" primary
homonymy (Blatchley 1925b). Leonard
Materials and Methods
(1968) transferred the species to Blissus
Blissus minutus was sampled by holding Burmeister. All additional published re-
a white enamel pan at the base of weeping cords ofB. minutus are from Florida: Royal
lovegrass and other potential hosts, striking Palm Park [Miami-Dade Co.] (Blatchley
the crown with an ax handle, and noting the 1926); Bahia Honda Key [Monroe Co.]
presence of dislodged nymphs and adults (Leonard 1968); and Broward. Franklin.
(brachypters and macropters). Specimens Hillsborough, Levy, Palm Beach, Pasco. St.
were collected from nearly every site Lucie, and Volusia counties (Slater and
(>90%) and deposited in the National Mu- Baranowski 1990). Previous ecological in-
seum of Natural History, Smithsonian In- formation consists only of the collection of
stitution, Washington, D.C. (USNM). In the adults from "grass tufts" (Blatchley 1925a,
Southeast, nymphs were recorded as early 1926) and sea oats, Uniola paniculata L.
(I-III) or late (IV-V) instars (1996-1999) (Poaceae) (Leonard 1968). Slater (1976)
or were sorted to instar in the field (2000- noted that the blissid "breeds" on sea oats
2004). In the Southwest, T. wnbrata was and attributed the information to Leonard
collected during surveys for B. minutus. (1968); that paper, however, mentioned
Adults (only nymphs were present at cer- only the collection of ad—ults.
tain sites) of T. wnbrata from each locality Distribution (Fig. 1 ). Known previous-
were collected and deposited in the USNM; ly only from 1 1 counties in Florida (Slater
when nymphs were present, instars were and Baranowski 1990), B. minutus is now
field sorted and recorded. known in the southeastern United States
Notes on the seasonality of B. minutus from Alabama (1 county), Georgia (68).
are based mainly on the sampling of weep- North Carolina (15). and South Carolina
ing lovegrass in South Carolina in Richland (24). Records also are available for fourteen
County near Spears Creek Church Rd.. 3.8 additional counties in Florida. Although
km SSE of Pontiac (34°06.3'N. 80°49.5'W) Fig. 1 shows the distribution of B. minutus
and in Florida in Lake County along Rt. 27, only by county, the blissid appearcti to he
8.5 km SSE of Clermont (28°28.7'N. restricted to the Sandhills ecoregion ofmost
81°43.0'W) and Polk County along Rl. 27. counties lying within both the Sandhills and
2.4 km N of jet. CR-54, 7.3 km NNW of Piedmont (e.g., Anson, Lee, and Montgom-
Loughman (28°16.6'N, 81°39.6'W). Notes ery in North Carolina and Edgefield, Fair-
on seasonality of B. minutus and T. wnbra- field, and Lancaster in South Carolina).
ta in the Southwest are based on observa- Attempts to collect B. minutus in the
tions only from lale April to early June. Piedmont of North Caiolina (m;iinl\ I'liion
—
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
338
Recordfromauthor'sfieldwork
Recordfromliterature
Recordfromauthor'sfieldworkandliterature
Fig. I. Known distribution (by county) ofBlissus minutus based on personal collecting and the literature.
County) were unsuccessful. The only Pied- in the tall-grass prairies and mixed-grass
mont record in South Carolina was from plains in 16 counties of western Oklahoma.
southern McCormick County near the fall It was not found in sandhills ofsoutheastern
line. My sampling of weeping lovegrass at Oklahoma (southern Atoka County) despite
multiple sites in Abbeville, Anderson, the sampling of weeping lovegrass in April
Chester, Greenwood, Newberry, Oconee, or May of each year from 2000 to 2003.
Pickens, and York counties in South Caro- The blissid was found in Texas (14 coun-
lina was negative for the blissid. Records ties) in or near the panhandle in the Rolling
from the Piedmont of Georgia were mainly Plains and High Plains, as well as three
from counties near the fall line; extensive counties in the Edwards Plateau. It was col-
sampling of weeping lovegrass failed to lected as far west as Dawson, Gaines, and
yield specimens in more northern Piedmont Terry counties, where it was syntopic with
counties: Hart, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, T. umbrata, but was not found in other
Oconee, Taliaferro, and Wilkes. An excep- western counties (Bailey, Cochran, and
tion to the bug's collection from more Yoakum).
southern Piedmont counties in Georgia is Host plants. Blissus minutus was col-
the record from Atlanta (Cobb County). lected more often (293 records) on weeping
In Alabama, B. minutus was found at lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula), the princi-
three sites near Cottonton (Russell County) pal plant used to obtain distribution records,
in sandy areas of the East Gulf Coastal than on any other host (Tables 1-2). Other
Plain. I did not find it during sampling of chloridoid grasses that served as hosts in-
weeping lovegrass in adjacent Lee and Ma- cluded two native species ofEragrostis and
con counties to the north and west, respec- an adventive species ofthe genus {E. pilosa
tively. The blissid is generally distributed in (L.) P. Beauv.). Among native grasses,
peninsular Florida and is known from two broomsedge {Andropogon virginicus L.), a
counties in the panhandle. panicoid, accounted for the largest number
In the Southwest, I collected B. minutus of records (39; Table 1).
VOLUME NUMBER
107, 2 339
Table 1. Number of collections of Blissus minutus from grasses in the southeastern United States: Florida,
Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina; four collections from Eragrostis ciirvula in Russell County. Al-
abama, are not listed. Species marked with an asterisk are ones from which nymphs were collected.
(iA NC
Aristoideae
Aristida beyrichiana Trin. & Rupr.
*-A. condensala Chapn. 1
*A. purpurascens Poir.
1
'*A. tuberculosa Nutt.
Chloridoideae
Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. 2
'*Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees 17 98 49 83
E. elliottii S. Wats. —1
*E. hirsuta (Michx.) Nees — 1
*E. pilosa (L.) P. Beauv. —
*E. refracta (Muhl. ex Elliott) Scribn. 2
*Muhlenbergia capillaris (Lam.) Trin.
[including M. capillaris var.filipes (M. A. Curtis)] 7 2
*M. expansa (Poir.) Trin. 1
Spartina bakeri Merr. 2
Triplasis americana P. Beauv. 1
Panicoideae
*Andropogonfloridamis Scribn. 1
A. glaucopsis (Elliott) Steud. 1
A. glomeratus (Walter) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. 3
A. gyrans Ashe
1
*A. tenuispatheus (Nash) Nash —1
*A. ternarius Michx. 2
*A. virginicus L. 1—2 22
*Cenchrus carolinianus Hitch.
C. echinatus L. 1
*Dichanthelium scabriusculum (Elliott) Gould & 1
C. A. Clark
*Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka 6
Panicum repens L. —1
*Paspalum notatum Fliigge var. saure Parodi —
P. urvillei Steud. —
Schizachyrium scopariiim (Michx.) Nash
*'Sorghastrum domingensis (Trin.) Kunth 4
*S. nutans (L.) Nash 2
Adults ofB. minutus were collected from deae (24.3%) and Aristoideae (3.7%). If
34 species of Poaceae in the subfamilies only grasses on which nymphs were ob-
Aristoideae, Chloridoideae, and Panicoi- served are considered, chloridoids account-
deae. Nymphs were found on 21 species ed for 81.3% of total records; panicoids,
representing each of the three subfamilies. 17.9%: and aristoids, 0.8%. With E. curvula
Chloridoid (79.8%) and panicoid (19.2%) omitted, panicoids (78.2%) dominated the
grasses dominated the collection records. nymphal iu^sts, tbllowed b\ chloridoids
When records from the exotic E. curvula (18.4%) and ar—istoids (3.4%).
are excluded, most records were from Pan- Seasonality. In the Southeast, aduhs of
icoideae (72.0%), followed by Chloridoi- /). minutus (>95'7r hiach\ptcrs) were l\)und
—
340 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Table 2. Numberofcollections ofBUsslis ininutus from grasses in the southwestern United States: Oklahoma
and Texas. Species marked with an asterisk are ones from which nymphs were collected.
Chloridoideae
*Erciiirostis ciirviila (Schrad.) Nees 30 16
Miihlenhergia liiulheinicri Hitchc. 3
M. reverchonii Vasey & Scribn. 1
Panicoideae
*Bothriochloa ischaeiiniin (L.) Keng
'''Scliizachyriuiii scopariuni (Michx.) Nash
in crowns of weeping lovegrass from mid- pairs were observed in Wheeler County,
November to mid-March. First through fifth Texas, on 26 April 2000. Collections in
instars were observed in early December mid-May 2001, late May 2003, and early
and third through fifth instars in late De- May 2004 consisted of brachypters (three
cember (ca. 5% ofpopulation). That second macropters were seen). A mating pair was
through fifth instars (mostly III-IV) were found on 25 May 2001 in Terry County,
found in late February and early March Texas, and another on 29 May 2003 in
suggests that nymphs survive the winter in Blaine County, Oklahoma.
southeastern states. The irregularity of col-
Toonglasa umbrata (Distant)
lections and observations, coupled with the
blissid's overwintering as adults and Toonglasa umbrata was described in Is-
nymphs of several instars, made it difficult chnodemus Fieber from Guatemala by Dis-
to determine the appearance of first instars tant (1893); it was transferred to Toonglasa
of the first generation and delimit the num- Distant by Slater and Brailovsky (1983),
ber of annual generations. Late-developing who proposed /. macer Van Duzee, de-
cohorts of the first generation appeared to scribed from Arizona, as a synonym. Ad-
overlap with nymphs of the second gener- ditional U.S. records are Iowa, Kansas, Ne-
ation, which blurred the distinction between braska, New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas
all succeeding generations. (Slater and Brailovsky 1983). The species
Adults and a mating pair were observed ranges through Mexico and Central Amer-
by late March; mating pairs continued to be ica to at least Brazil in South America (Slat-
beaten from weeping lovegrass from April er and Brailovsky 1990). The grasses Ati-
to late August. First and second instars out- dropogon glomeratus (Walter) Britton,
&
numbered late instars (presumably over- Sterns Poggenb. and Bothriochloa blad-
wintered) at the Richland County sample hii (Retz.) S. T. Blake (= B. intermedia (R.
site on 1 April 2000, suggesting the begin- Br.) A. Camus) are hosts of T. umbrata in
ning of a first generation. Early instars also Panama (Slater 1976); a host in Mexico is
were observed in late May, July, and Oc- Hyparrhenia rufa (Nees) Stapf (Slater and
tober to December. This multivoltine blissid Brailovsky 1983). The fifth instar has been
appears to complete at least three genera- described, based on material from Arizona
tions a year in the Southeast. (Slater and Brailovsky 1983), but host
In the Southwest, third through fifth in- grasses have not been reported for the Unit-
stars (presumably overwintered), brachyp- ed States.
ters, and an occasional macropter were pre- Distribution (Fig. 2). Toonglasa um-
sent in late April 2000 and 2002. Mating brata was found in Arizona (1 county).
VOLUME NUMBER
107, 2 341
Recordfromauthor'sfieldwork
Recordfromliterature
Recordfromauthor'sfieldworkandliterature
Fig. 2. Knowndistribution (bycounty)ofToonglasa uinhratcibasedon personal collecting and the literature.
New Mexico (6), Oklahoma (7), and Texas panicoid. and five chloridoid grasses (Table
(11); Oklahoma is a new state record. It was 3), with records from the exotic chloridoid
collected in western Oklahoma and Texas E. curx'ula dominating (8().()9f). Another
in many ofthe counties and the same ecore- non-native host was a panictiid. the Old
gions as B. rninutus. The two blissids were World bluestem Bothriochloii iscluwimiiu
syntopic at ten sites in Oklahoma (Beck- (L.) Keng. Nymphs were found on sc\cn
ham, Blaine, Canadian. Dewey, Jackson, native grasses, incltiding the chltMidoid
Major, and Roger Mills counties) and nine sideoats grama (Bouicloiui lunipcinliila
sites in Texas (Cottle, Dawson, Gaines. (Michx.) Torr.) and big sacatoii {Sporoholus
Gray, Hardeman, Terry, and Wheeler coun- urightli Munroe ex Scribn.). ami the pani-
ties). Toonglasa umhrata was the only blis- coids cane bluestem {Bofhrioch/od harhi-
sid collected from crowns of bunchgrasses nodis (Lag.) Hertcr) aiul little bluestem
in southeastern New Mexico and south- (Schizachyriuiu—scopariuin (Michx.) Nash).
eastern Arizona—. Seas(Miality. Late-April collections in
Host plants. Nymphs and adtihs ol" '/". 2()()() and 2002 ct)nsisicil kA' apparently
umbrata were found on one pooitl. ihree overwintered third through lit'th instars
342 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Table 3. Number ofcolleclions of Toonglasa umhrata from grasses in the southwestern United States: Ari-
zona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Nymphs and adults were collected from all species.
Chloridoideae
Boiiteloita ciirtipendula (Michx.) Torr. 2
B. gracilis (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths 1
Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees 16 13 20
E. intermedia A. S. Hitch.
Sporobolus wrightii Munro ex Scribn.
Panicoideae
Bothriochloa barbinodis (Lag.) Herter
B. ischaemum (L.) Keng
Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash
Pooideae
Festuca arizonica Vasey
(mostly IV-V) in western Oklahoma and Discussion
fourth and fifth instars in western Texas. Because B. minutus has been known only
Late instars also were found in late April in
southeastern New Mexico except a site in from Florida, it probably is among lygaeoid
species (10, not enumerated) regarded as
Roosevelt County where two adults were precinctive {sensu Frank and McCoy 1990)
present with late instars. Late instars only
were observed in late May 2001 at all sites einasttheartn srtaantege(Bnaorwanoiswsekxite1n9d9e5d).toItpsorstoiuotnhs-
in western Oklahoma except one in Dewey
of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and
County where teneral adults (<10) were South Carolina. The blissid can be consid-
present. Late-May collections in southeast-
ered a characteristic insect of the fall-line
ern New Mexico consisted of late instars Sandhills of the Carolinas and Georgia.
only or nymphs plus one or two adults, ex-
Southeastern records outside the Sandhills
cept the Roosevelt County site noted above, also are mainly from the Coastal Plain. The
where adults outnumbered late instars. In relatively few records from the Piedmont
late May 2003, adults outnumbered nymphs are near the fall line except for one from
in western Oklahoma; a mating pair was Atlanta, Georgia.
observed on 29 May in Canadian County. In the Southwest, B. minutus was found
Adults were found in southeastern New on weeping lovegrass in parts of western
Mexico in late May; only fifth instars were Oklahoma and western Texas, particularly
observed in early June in southeastern Ar- where soils are sandy. I collected only an
izona (Santa Cruz County). In early May occasional adult in the Edwards Plateau of
2004, only late instars were found in Daw- Texas. It was syntopic with another blissid,
son County, Texas, whereas adults (mostly T. umbrata, at numerous sites in Oklahoma
teneral) outnumbered fifth instars in Gaines and Texas but was not found in the west-
County. Second through fourth instars were ernmost counties ofTexas (except a collec-
found in southeastern New Mexico in early tion from Gaines County) or in southeastern
May; mid-May collections in southeastern Arizona and southeastern New Mexico.
Arizona consisted of third and fourth in- Toonglasa umbrata was the only blissid
stars. collected from E. curvula in these more arid
VOLUME NUMBER
107, 2 343
regions. I also did not find B. minutus on blissids continually test new plants, with
E. curvula in southern Arkansas, eastern most colonizations of novel hosts being un-
Oklahoma, and eastern Texas. Additional successful. In other cases, they noted that a
fieldwork is needed to determine whether blissid develops on a new host but less ef-
populations in the Atlantic and GulfCoastal fectively than on its original hosts; occa-
Plain are disjunct from those of the south- sionally, the new host becomes a primary
ern Great Plains. Blissus minutus might host, as weeping lovegrass now appears to
eventually be found in the relatively little- be for B. minutus. New plants can become
studied blackland prairies scattered in Lou- "better" hosts than a blissid's original hosts
isiana and occurring more extensively in (Slater and Wilcox 1973). Whether nymph-
Alabama and Mississippi (Peacock and al growth and development of B. minutus
Schauwecker 2003). Certain othergrassland are increased on E. curvula relative to its
insects are known from the Great Plains, native hosts remains to be tested.
the Black Belt of Alabama and Mississippi, A South African blissid, Atrademus mar-
and the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain, itimus Slater and Wilcox, has been collected
whereas others show a disjunct Great only from a non-native host (Slater 1976).
Plains-Atlantic/Gulf Coastal Plain distribu- When I discovered that B. minutus is com-
tion (Brown 2003). mon on the introduced E. curvula, 1 em-
Conservation and forage plantings of phasized collections from other grasses
weeping lovegrass ordinarily are estab- with extensive crowns in an attempt to de-
lished by seeding (Crider 1945, Ahring termine its native hosts. Certain of these
1970, Voigt and Sharp 1995). Therefore, grasses, such as Andropogon species and
movement of B. minutus with commerce Muhlenbergia capillaris, proved to be host
seems unlikely. Because weeping lovegrass plants, whereas others, such as Aristida
can be transplanted as seedlings or crowns beyrichiana, appeared not to be used as
divided from older plants (Crider 1945), the hosts. Although blissids often are host.re-
possibility that the blissid might have be- stricted (Slater 1976), B. minutus, having
come established in new areas via move- been collected from 34 grasses (nymphs
ment of vegetative material of E. curx'ula from 21 species) in the subfamilies Aris-
(or other host grasses) cannot be dismissed. toideae, Chloridoideae, and Panicoideae,
Human-assisted spread of B. occiduus Bar- can be considered a grass generalist {sensu
ber (Baxendale et al. 1999) and B. insularis Whitcomb et al. 1988). Toonglasa umbrata,
Barber (Sweet 2000) with turfgrasses has whose nymphs were found on nine grasses
been suggested. in the Chloridoideae. Panicoideae. and
In analyzing host-plant relationships of Pooideae. might also be a grass generalist.
blissids. Slater (1976) predicted that era- Wils—on and Wheeler (in press) discussed
grostoid grasses "will prove to be widely factors arc—hitectural cotnplexity and phy-
used as host plants." Eragrostis curvula in tochemistry that might have allowed cer-
South Africa, where it is native, serves as tain rarely collected native planthoppers to
a host of the blissid Atrademus capeneri colonize the exotic E. curvula. In ihc case
(Slater) and probably also Capodemus her- of B. minutus, which develops in the
bosus Slater and Sweet (Slater and Wilcox crowns of its hosts, the large, dense crtn\iis
1973, Slater 1976). After being introduced of E. curvula might allow larger pt>pula-
into the southern United States, this plant tions to develop than are typical on most of
has been colonized by two New World blis- the bug's native hosts. The large densities
sids, B. minutus and T. umhrata. The col- that were observed on weeping lovegrass
onization of non-native hosts is common in might reflect the lack of resistance of this
the Blissidae (Slater 1976, Sweet 2000). grass to a new herbivore. Small densities of
Slater and Wilcox (1973) suggested (hat pestiferous blissids, such as B. Icucopicrus
344 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Say, often are found on native grasses, Brown (Department of Entomology and
whereas much larger, damaging numbers Plant Pathology, Mississippi State Univer-
develop on introduced grasses (Sweet sity) for sharing his knowledge of insect
2000). The sandy soils to which E. curvula distribution patterns, and Peter Adler (De-
is best adapted (Crider 1945, Voigt and partment of Entomology, Soils, and Plant
Sharp 1995) also might have facilitated the Sciences, Clemson University) for com-
use of a novel host by B. niinutus, which ments that improved the manuscript.
feeds at the base of host grasses. Blissus
Literature Cited
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has been reported for B. leucopterus hirtus Ahring, R. M. 1970. Seed production, weeping love-
Montandon (Sweet 2000). grass, Eragrostis curvula (Schrad) [sic] Nees, in
Oklahoma, pp. 130-138. In Dalrymple, R. L., ed.
Acknowledgments Proceedings ofthe FirstWeeping Lovegrass Sym-
posium (April 28-29, 1970), Ardmore,Oklahoma.
Personnel of the USDA's Natural Re- Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore,
sources Conservation Service were extraor- Oklahoma.
dinarily helpful in providing information on Baranowski, R. M. 1995. Seed bugs (Hemiptera: Ly-
weeping lovegrass in the Southwest: gaeidae), p. 28. In Frank, J. H. and E. D. McCoy,
eds. Precinctive insect species in Florida. Florida
Oklahoma (Jim Williams), New Mexico Entomologist 78: 21-35.
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son), and Texas (Fred Allison, Donald Gib- 1999. Blissusocciduus(Hemiptera: Lygaeidae): A
bons, Reggie Quiett); Donald Gibbons chinch bug pest new to buffalograss turf. Journal
(Brownfield, TX) and Joe Gibson (Clovis, ofEcoWnomic Entomology 92: 1172-1176.
NM) also accompanied me in the field. I BlatcohfleHye,teropSt.er1a92f5rao.mSothmeesaodudtihteironnaUlnniteewdsSpteactieess,
thank Robert Whitcomb (formerly with with characterization ofa new genus. Entomolog-
USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD) for suggest- ical News 36: 45-52.
ing that I contact the NRCS and accompa- . 1925b. Two changes of names (Heteroptera,
nsyeairncghmReanicnhtihne2f0i0e4ld. aItaltshoe aAmudgurbatoenfulRet-o CNoolr.etoh1p9t2eA6rm.ae)r.HiecEtane,troowmpiottlehoragEiscopraelcTiNrauelewsRBeuf3g6es:re2no4cf5e.Eatsotetrhne
Paul Voigt (USDA, ARS, Beaver, WV), Faunas ofIndiana and Florida. Nature Publishing
Chet Dewalt (USDA, ARS, Woodward, Co., Indianapolis, 1,116 pp.
OK), and Chuck Grimes (Grasslander, Hen- Brown, R. L. 2003. Paleoenvironment and biogeogra-
nessey, OK) for useful information on pPehaycoocfk,theE.MiasnsdisTsipSpcihaBulwaecckkeBerl,t,edpsp.. B1l1a-c2k6l.anIdn
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