Leptocoris

Leptocoris is the largest genus of bugs in the subfamily Serinethinae. Species in this genus are distributed throughout Africa, South Asia, and Oceania, and are thought to have originated in Africa, where the greatest diversity of Leptocoris species are found.^[1][2] Several species are known as soapberry bugs in Australia, notably Leptocoris mitellatus.^[3]

Leptocoris
Leptocoris rufomarginatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Suborder:	Heteroptera
Family:	Rhopalidae
Subfamily:	Serinethinae
Genus:	Leptocoris Hahn, 1833
Synonyms
Lygeomorphus Blanchard, 1840 Pyrrhotes Westwood, 1840 Serinetha Spinola, 1837 Tynotoma Amyot & Serville, 1843

External image
Images at iNaturalist

Description

Members of this genus are large-bodied and have short, wide pronota; they are similar in appearance to the New World genus Jadera (of which there is no range overlap). Leptocoris species can be easily distinguished from the small, slender Boisea (of which there is substantial range overlap). The Australian Leptocoris tagalicus has been studied for its ability to rapidly adapt to invasive hosts (e.g. balloon vine) and is seen as a possible means of biocontrol for environmental weeds.^[4][5] The southeast Asian species Leptocoris vicinus is common in urban settings, although it is frequently misidentified as Leptocoris augur.

Gallery

• 
  Leptocoris augur, Taiwan.
• 
  Leptocoris dispar, Thailand.
• 
  Leptocoris mitellatus, Australia.
• 
  Leptocoris tagalicus, Australia.

Species

The Coreoidea Species File^[6] lists:

1. Leptocoris abdominalis (Fabricius, 1803)
2. Leptocoris aethiops (Distant, 1901)
3. Leptocoris affinis Göllner-Scheiding, 1980
4. Leptocoris albisoleata (Bergroth, 1912)
5. Leptocoris amictus Germar, 1838
6. Leptocoris augur (Fabricius, 1781)
7. Leptocoris bahram Kirkaldy, 1899
8. Leptocoris capitis (Hsiao, 1963)
9. Leptocoris chevreuxi (Noualhier, 1893)
10. Leptocoris cinnamonensis Izzard, 1960
11. Leptocoris corniculatus (Stål, 1867)
12. Leptocoris coxalis (Kirby, 1891)
13. Leptocoris dispar (Hsiao, 1963)
14. Leptocoris griseiventris (Westwood, 1842)
15. Leptocoris hexophthalmus (Thunberg, 1784)
16. Leptocoris insularis Kirkaldy, 1908
17. Leptocoris intermedius (Distant, 1914)
18. Leptocoris isolatus (Distant, 1914)
19. Leptocoris lanuginosus (Lethierry, 1881)
20. Leptocoris latus Göllner-Scheiding, 1980
21. Leptocoris longiusculus (Walker, 1872)
22. Leptocoris marquesensis Cheesman, 1926
23. Leptocoris minusculus Blöte, 1934
24. Leptocoris mitellatus Bergroth, 1916
25. Leptocoris mutilatus (Gerstaecker, 1873)
26. Leptocoris nigrofasciatus (Distant, 1914)
27. Leptocoris obscurus Göllner-Scheiding, 1980
28. Leptocoris paramictus Göllner-Scheiding, 1980
29. Leptocoris pectoralis Schouteden, 1948
30. Leptocoris productus Göllner-Scheiding, 1980
31. Leptocoris rubrolineatus Barber, 1956
32. Leptocoris rufomarginatus (Fabricius, 1794)
33. Leptocoris seidenstueckeri Göllner-Scheiding, 1980
34. Leptocoris stehliki Göllner-Scheiding, 1980
35. Leptocoris subrufescens (Kirby, 1888)
36. Leptocoris tagalicus Burmeister, 1834
37. Leptocoris teyrovskyi Göllner-Scheiding, 1980
38. Leptocoris toricollis (Bergroth, 1893)
39. Leptocoris ursulae Perreira, Carroll & Loye, 2012
40. Leptocoris verticalis Göllner-Scheiding, 1982
41. Leptocoris vicinus (Dallas, 1852)
42. Leptocoris wagneri Göllner-Scheiding, 1980