Pacific Pests & Pathogens - Mini Fact Sheet EditionMan-faced stink bug (404)
Pacific Pests & Pathogens - Mini Fact Sheet EditionMan-faced stink bug (404)
Summary
- Restricted. Africa (Madagascar), South and Southeast Asia, Oceania. New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea. Catacanthus punctus in Fiji.
- On cashew, ornamentals (e.g., Ixora), forest trees.
- A stink bug; smell when disturbed! Suck sap causing leaves and stems to wilt and fruit to drop. Eggs laid in large batches; nymphs black and white. Adults variable colours – cream, orange, red, yellow - with two pairs of large black spots. Adults produce an aggregate pheromone: hundreds mass on cashew and Delonix regia.
- Natural enemies: few; Trissolcus basalis (egg parasitoid) introduced into Pacific islands; possibly ants take the eggs (see Fact Sheet no. 98).
- Cultural control: handpicking on small shrubs.
- Chemical control: PDPs - derris, pyrethrum, chilli, possibly neem (see Fact Sheet no. 402); alternatively, use synthetic pyrethroids, but these will likely kill natural enemies.
Common Name
Man-faced stink bug; also referred to as the Hitler bug.
Scientific Name
Catacanthus incarnatus; also know by the name, Catacanthus nigripes. Another species, Catacanthus punctus, has been recorded from Fiji (Photo 6).
AUTHOR Grahame Jackson
Information (and Photo 5) from Thite SV, Kore BA (2016) Mass occurrence of stink bug Catacanthus incarnatus (Dury) on Gmelina arborea Roxb. in Satara, Matarashtara. Zoo's Print xxxi (5), 8-9; and Bhat PS, Srikumar KK (2013) Occurrence of man-faced stink bug, Catacathus incarnatus Drury on cashew in Puttur region of Karnataka. Insect environment 19(1), 32-34; and (with Photo 4) from Waghmare SH et al., A case of extensive congregation of man-faced stink bug Catacanthus incarnatus (Drury) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) together with new host records from western Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(8), 7490-7492. Photos 1&2 Vijayanrajapuram. Catacanthus incarnatus (Hitler Bug) mating. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hitler_bugs_-_mating_01.jpg). Photo 3 Vinayara. Catacanthus incarnatus - man-faced stink bug - nymph from Kannavam RF(6).jpg. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catacanthus_incarnatus_-_Man-faced_Stink_Bug_-_nymph_from_Kannavam_RF_(6).jpg). Photo 6 Nitya Singh, Research Officer-Plant Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, Fiji.
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Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project HORT/2016/185: Responding to emerging pest and disease threats to horticulture in the Pacific islands, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
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