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Leptocoris abdominalis

A strikingly large and colorful species; nymphs can appear as if dusted with bright pink powder. Widespread, but little is known of its hosts and habits.

Leptocoris abdominalis abdominalis (Fabricius 1803)

Leptocoris abdominalis abdominalis
L. abdominalis abdominalis adult. Dried museum specimen from the University of Tsukuba.

Range: Indonesia, Philippines
Host: Schleichera oleosa (Lac Tree) and Koelreuteria henryi (Flamegold Tree)
Physical description: Around 14-21 mm in length. Dorsal side is bright red, except for black membrane. Large, rounded pronotum that appears to bulge outward laterally. Ventral side is black with red margins. Appendages are black.
May resemble: L. augur (smaller bodied; more orange in color) and L. vicinus (smaller bodied; black v-shape on clavus)

Leptocoris abdominalis bloetei (Gross 1960)

Range: New Guinea
Physical description: Similar to taprobanensis (see below) except head has a slight reddish or brownish tint and the scutellum is black. Also, there is a large black patch above the pronotum and the membrane has a grayish or metallic green tint.

Leptocoris abdominalis tapbrobanensis (Dallas 1852)

Leptocoris abdominalis taprobanensis
Leptocoris abdominalis taprobanensis adult. Dried museum specimen from the University of Tsukuba.

Range: Sri Lanka and Socotra
Physical description: Same as abdominalis except ochre colored in all places where abodominalis is red.

Distribution

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Estimated L. abdominalis range
Leptocoris abdominalis has been found in Myanmar, Vietnam, and Australia but the exact locations of where it was collected are not known.

Red markers = exact locations insects have been found
Blue region(s) of land = inferred range
3/4 inch = 2000 miles
Click here for an interactive version of this map.

References

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Carroll, S.P. & Loye, J.E. (2009): Anthropogenic adaptive radiation of soapberry bugs in a biogeographic context.