Hotea


Hotea is a genus of African and Asian shield-backed bugs belonging to the family Scutelleridae.

Species

Hotea acuta Stål, 1865 Hotea circumcincta Walker, 1867 Hotea curculionoides Hotea denticulata Stål, 1865 Hotea gambiae Hotea nigrorufa Walker, 1867 Hotea redtenbacheriHotea subfasciata (Westwood, 1837

Description

Male jewel bugs of the genus Hotea possess an unusually large, spiky, and heavily sclerotized genitalia. They are used in a mating practice known as traumatic insemination, a result of evolutionary sexual conflict. Male Hotea bugs tear through the female reproductive ducts to deposit sperm, inflicting substantial damage to the female in the process.