Living fossils in Okinawa: The world of the scentless plant bugs

Scentless plant bugs (Rhopalidae) are a fascinating family of true bugs (Hemiptera). Their fossils have been discovered in the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, meaning these insects have been crawling the earth for well over 160 million years. Leptocoris vicinus is a species of soapberry bug found in the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia. The soapberry bug feeds on seeds from the soapberry family and sequesters these toxic plant compounds. They can bleed these toxins to deter hungry birds and toads. I found a large congregation including nymphs (wingless) and adults (winged) clustered on a small tree on the Okinawa island.

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