Aepophilus[1] is a monotypic genus of bugs, containing the species Aepophilus bonnairei in the monotypic subfamily Aepophilinae in the monotypic family Aepophilidae of the infraorder Leptopodomorpha. It is found on the Atlantic coast of Europe.
| Aepophilus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Aepophilus bonnairei | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Infraorder: | Leptopodomorpha |
| Family: | Aepophilidae Puton, 1879 |
| Subfamily: | Aepophilinae Puton, 1879 |
| Genus: | Aepophilus Signoret, 1879 |
| Species: | A. bonnairei
|
| Binomial name | |
| Aepophilus bonnairei Signoret, 1879
| |
Distribution
editThe species lives on the coasts of Ireland, southwest England and Wales, the Netherlands, the North of France's Atlantic and Channel coasts, the Atlantic coasts of Spain and Portugal, with an uncertain record from Morocco.[2]
Ecology
editAepophilus bonnairei lives exclusively in the intertidal zone of the sea coast, often in between thalli of Fucus. It is small (length 2.5-3.5 mm) and found in cracks and crevices of rocky coasts as well as under stones embedded in sand or silt. This insect is a predator and has been observed feeding on annelids, with its sucking mouthparts, in the field and in the laboratory. The life cycle of the species has been poorly researched. Larval stages were kept in the laboratory for several months, so it probably has a relatively slow development. There are reports that the females guard egg clutches.[3]
References
edit- ^ Signoret, Victor (1879). "Communication". Annales de la Société entomologique de France (Bulletin des séances). 5. 9: LXXIII.
- ^ Schuh, Randall T.; Slater, James A. (1995). True Bugs of the World (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Classification and Natural History. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-2066-0.
- ^ Polhemus, John T. (1976). "Shore bugs (Hemiptera: Saldidae, etc.)". In Cheng, Lanna (ed.). Marine Insects (PDF). North-Holland Publishing Co. pp. 225–262. ISBN 0-444-11213-8.
External links
edit- British Bugs: Aepophilus bonnairei Marine Bug (retrieved 30 October 2021)
Data related to Aepophilus at Wikispecies
Media related to Aepophilus bonnairei at Wikimedia Commons
