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Exploring the
Southern Hemisphere:
Plant Bug Planetary Biodiversity Inventory
Field Work in Australia and South Africa
presented by
Randall T. Schuh
Curator and Chair
Division of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History, New York
Planetary Biodiversity Inventories
Funding: US National Science Foundation, 2003
Criteria: Worldwide and monophyletic taxa
Duration: 5 years
Projects: Eumycetozoa (slime molds): 1000 species
Solanum (Solanaceae): 1500 species
Miridae (Heteroptera): 5000 species
Siluriformes (cat fishes): 2500 species
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PBI Participants
Heteroptera: True Bugs
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7 infraorders
85 families
40,000 species
described
Miridae: Plant Bugs
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Infraorder:
Cimicomorpha
• 1,350
valid genera
• 10,200
valid species
• mostly
phytophagous
• high
host specificity
• many
myrmecomorphic
• some
aposematic
PBI Target Taxa:
Orthotylinae and Phylinae
Status as of 2003
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8 recognized tribes
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485 described genera
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3900 described species
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~ 1400 published hosts
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~ 90 new genera
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~ 1200 new species in
collections
Exemplar Orthotylinae and Phylinae
Field Work Fundamentals
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Application of taxon focused techniques
Maximize discovery of new taxa
Extend geographic coverage
Maximize host/biological information
Maximize specimen quality
Maximize specimen numbers
Collecting Equipment
Host Specificity in the Orthotylinae and Phylinae
1170
1092
Mirid Species: 3044
Host Species: 1420
1014
936
858
Observations
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546
468
390
312
234
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FREQUENCY OF HOST PLANT SPECIES PER MIRID SPECIES
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Host Collecting
Processing host
vouchers, Sept. 2004,
Compton Herbarium,
Cape Town
Vouchers ready for drying
Herbarium Quality Host Specimens
Species Accumulation in the
Orthotylinae and Phylinae
1600
Palearctic
1400
1200
Nearctic
1000
800
600
Neotropical
400
Ethiopian
200
Oriental
Australian
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North American Orthotylinae and Phylinae
• 550 described species
• 25 % of known world fauna
• >200,000 specimens in collections
• flora of ~ 9000 seed plant species
• ~ 500 published hosts
Major North American Host Groups
• Asteraceae (Ambrosia, Artemisia, etc.)
• Chenopodiaceae (Atriplex, Sarcobatus, etc.)
• Fabaceae (Acacia, Prosopis, Psorothamnus, etc.)
• Fagaceae (Quercus)
• Pinaceae (Pinus, Abies, etc.)
• Rhamnaceae (Ceanothus, Rhamnus, Zizyphus)
• Rosaceae (Cercocarpus, Purshia, Rosa, etc.)
• Salicaceae (Populus, Salix)
SOUTH AFRICAN FIELD WORK
Western Cape as a PBI target area:
Namaqualand–Little Karoo–Fynbos
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Extreme plant diversity and endemism
Unique biotic affinities
Limited prior sampling
Few publications and described taxa
Unstudied by classical & modern authors
No local specialists
South African Orthotylinae and
Phylinae: 1961, 1974
1961 – Carvalho, South African Animal Life
12 described species
0 documented hosts
250 specimens studied
1974 – Schuh, Published Dissertation
100 described species: + 850%
50 documented hosts
2000 specimens studied: + 800%
South Africa: 2003, 2004 Localities
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Pbi_australia_localities revised.dbf
Country.shp
>120 localities
South African Orthotylinae and
Phylinae, 2005
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> 250 species: + 250%
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> 350 documented hosts: + 700%
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> 20,000 specimens: + 1000%
South African Museum and Table Mountain, Cape Town
Bed and Breakfast, Vanrhynsdorp
Tradouw Pass, East of Cape Town
Look East, South of Clanwilliam
Vanrhyns Pass, East of Vanrhynsdorp
Looking west from Vanrhyns Pass Summit
Northern Namaqualand, SE of Kamieskroon
Collecting near Kamieskroon, northern Namaqualand
Far Northern Cape, toward Lekkersing: Tom Henry
Far Northern Cape, toward Lekkersing: Denise Wyniger
Cupressaceae: Widdringtonia sp. Widdringtoniola sp.
Solanaceae: Lycium sp.
Karoocapsus sp.
Geraniaceae: Pelargonium cucullatum
undescribed
Aizoaceae: Lampranthus sp.
Eminoculus sp.
Fabaceae: Lebeckia sericea
Pseudosthenarus sp.
Asteraceae: Leysera sp.
undescribed
AUSTRALIAN FIELD WORK
Australia as a PBI target area
• High plant diversity and endemicity,
especially in west and southwest
• Limited sampling
• Few publications and described taxa
• No local specialists historically
Australian Miridae, 1994
• 180 described species
(~ 75 Orthotylinae and Phylinae)
• 1.8% of known world fauna
• ~ 500 species in collections
• 25,000 specimens in collections
• Flora of ~ 18,000 seed plant species
• 35 published host records
Australia: 1995--2002 Localities
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Co u n try .sh p
Australian Miridae: 2002
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210 described species: + 15%
(90 Orthotylinae and Phylinae)
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> 1,500 spp. in collections: + 300%
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> 100,000 specimens: + 400%
(80% Orthotylinae and Phylinae)
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1,400 documented hosts: + 4000%
Long Distances, Few People
Camping in the Bush, Southwestern Australia
Heath lands, near Esperance, Western Australia
Eucalypus forest, Margaret River, Western Australia
Open Acacia woodland, South Australia
Casuarina Woodland, Central Australia
Casuarina Fruits
Acacia with Loranthaceous Parasites, South Australia
Lake Eyre Basin, South Australia
Sand dune, north of Kalbarri Park, Western Australia
Xanthorrhoeaceae: Lomandra sp. Kirkaldyella sp.
Restionaceae: Hypolaena humilis
undescribed
Loranthaceae: Amyema sp.
Hypseloecus sp.
Proteaceae: Conospermum sp.
undescribed
Proteaceae: Grevillea sp.
3 undescribed
Proteaceae: Adenanthos cuneatus
undescribed
Myrtaceae: Melaleuca sp.
undescribed
Chenopodiaceae: Rhagodia sp.
undescribed
Casuarinaceae: Casuarina sp.
Austromirini sp.
Fabaceae: Acacia sp.
Austromiris sp.
Asteraceae: Waitzia acuminata
“Wallabicoris” sp.
PBI Accomplishments
Changes for World Orthotylinae and Phylinae
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20% increase in available specimens
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20% increase in known species diversity
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Continental-scale increase in geographic
coverage
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~ 100% increase in host-documented
specimens
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~ 1000% increase in host vouchers
Acknowledgments
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Gerry Cassis
Sheridan Hewson-Smith
Jason Larimer
Brenda Massie
Ella Massie-Schuh
Lorenzo Prendini
Michael Schwartz
Steve Thurston
Christiane Weirauch
Denise Wyniger
National Science Foundation
American Museum of Natural History
Australian Museum
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