The Pachygronthinae (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) of Trinidad with the Description of a New Species and Notes on Other Sedge Feeding Lygaeids

Abstract

Oedancala scutellata n.sp. is described from Trinidad. Pachygrontha saileri Slater is reduced to the status of a subspecies of P. minarum Lethierry and Severin and previous records of P. saileri for Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam are referred to the nominate subspecies. P. longiceps Stal and O. acuminata Slater are reported for Trinidad and P. longiceps from Venezuela for the first time and Oedancala meridionalis Stal reported for the first time from Mexico. Host plant, habitat and distributional data are given. Host plants of the subfamily Cyminae also are discussed. A table of host plants for each Trinidad species of Pachygronthinae and Cyminae is given. It is concluded that the Trinidad fauna of both of these subfamilies can be separated into specialists and generalists.