Leptocorisa Latreille 1825

Jansen, M. Andrew & Halbert, Susan E., 2016, Key to Florida Alydidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) and selected exotic pest species, Insecta Mundi 2016 (476), pp. 1-14 : 3

Leptocorisa Latreille 1825

Two species of Leptocorisa are included in the key. These Asian bugs are similar to the New World and African genus Stenocoris . Both species are major rice pests in Asia and the Pacific, where they feed on developing kernels, especially at the milk stage ( Chi Serrano et al. 2014; Lakshmanan et al. 1992). Leptocorisa acuta (Thunberg 1783) also is reported as a vector of a fungal pathogen in rice ( Chi Serrano et al. 2014; Lakshmanan et al. 1992). In experiments that involved spraying a spore suspension on rice heads with and without bugs, only the bug-infested heads developed sheath rot disease. Disease severity was proportional to the size of the infestation. Burrion and Litsinger (1981) was used to distinguish between L. acuta and L. oratorius (Fabricius 1794) .