ABSTRACT
Oebalus insularis was reported from Florida rice fields by R. Cherry and G. Nuessly who noted that it first was observed in 2007. The life history of this species is similar to that of Oebalus pugnax. The bugs become active early in the year feeding on wild grasses in and around the rice fields and invade the rice when the crop begins to flower. They feed on the developing grains during the milk and dough stages and can cause empty or sterile grains with the net effect being lower panicle weight. Economic injury levels and economic threshold for rice have been determined for this bug. Arvelius albopunctatus originally was described as Cimex albopunctatus from Surinam by De Geer. This species appears to feed preferentially on wild and cultivated members of the Solanaceae. It is a pest of tomato, eggplant, peppers, potato, and sweet potato in Brazil and is an important pest of cherry tomatoes in Baja California, Mexico.
