Rhaphigaster
Rhaphigaster is a genus of stink bugs in the family Pentatomidae. Its most well-known member is the mottled shieldbug, Rhaphigaster nebulosa.
Description
Rhaphigaster are relatively large stink bugs. On the underside of the body is a spinelike process extending forward from the third abdominal sternite.A feature of Rhaphigaster and some other pentatomid genera is the connexival groove. This is the line between the dorsal and ventral laterotergites of the connexiva, and it occurs on the dorsal surface of the connexiva. The exact position of the connexival groove in Rhapigaster is highly variable.
Ecology
Stink bugs of this genus are herbivores. The common R. nebulosa feeds on a wide variety of plants in the families Anacardiaceae, Corylaceae, Fagaceae, Malaceae, Platanaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae and Ulmaceae. Rhaphigaster brevispina is associated with apple and ash. Rhaphigaster genitalia has been recorded from chinaberry and Chinese tallow. Lastly, R. haraldi has been recorded from cork oak.Species
Listed below are the species of Rhaphigaster, along with their distributions:Rhaphigaster brevispina Horváth, 1889 - Central Asia extending to China and Mongolia, and IsraelRhaphigaster genitalia Yang, 1934 - ChinaRhaphigaster haraldi Lindberg, 1932 - MaghrebRhaphigaster nebulosa - Europe, Maghreb, Near East, Caucasus, Central Asia, PakistanThe type species, R. nebulosa, was originally described by Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus in 1761 as Cimex nebulosus. It was transferred to the new genus Rhaphigaster by François-Louis Laporte in 1833.