Rhopalimorpha

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Paraneoptera
Superordo: Condylognatha
Ordo: Hemiptera
Subordo: Heteroptera
Infraordo: Pentatomomorpha
Superfamilia: Pentatomoidea

Familia: Acanthosomatidae
Subfamilia: Acanthosomatinae
Genus: Rhopalimorpha
Subgenera (2): Lentimorpha – Rhopalimorpha
Overview of species (4)

R. alpina – R. humeralis – R. lineolaris – R. obscura
Name

Rhopalimorpha White, 1851: 293

Type species: Rhopalimorpha obscura White, 1851
Fixation: Monotypy

References

Dallas, W.S. 1851. List of the specimens of hemipterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part 1. London: Printed by order of the Trustees. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.20373. BHL.Reference page. [See p. 293; attributed to White, Zool. Ereb. & Terr.]
Kumar, R. 1974: A revision of world Acanthosomatidae (Heteroptera, Pentatomoidea): keys to and descriptions of subfamilies, tribes and genera, with designation of types. Australian journal of zoology, supplementary series, (34) DOI: 10.1071/AJZS034
Pendergrast, J.G. 1950: The genus Rhopalimorpha Dallas (Hemiptera-Heteroptera) with a description of a new species. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum, 4(1): 31–34. [Publication date: 20 December 1950] BUGZ
Pendergrast, J.G. 1952: Studies on the biology of pentatomid bugs of the genus Rhopalimorpha Dallas (Heteroptera). Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 80(2): 143–153, plate 35. BUGZ full text and pdf
Pendergrast, J.G. 1952: The genus Rhopalimorpha Dallas (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae). Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum, 4(3): 159–162. [Publication date: 22 December 1952] BUGZ
Pendergrast, J.G. 1958: An egg-burster in Rhopalimorpha Dallas (Hem: Acanthosomidae). Entomologist's monthly magazine, 94: 72. BUGZ
Pendergrast, J.G. 1960: Nymphs of the genus Rhopalimorpha Dallas (Hemiptera, Acanthosomidae). Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 88(1): 141–147. BUGZ full text and pdf

Additional references

Kirkaldy, G.W. 1909: Catalogue of the Hemiptera (Heteroptera) with biological and anatomical references, lists of foodplants and parasites, etc. prefaced by a discussion on nomenclature, and an analytical table of families. 1. Cimicidae. Berlin, F.L. Dames. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.15205 [see p. 169

Rhopalimorpha is a genus of insects in the shield bug family Acanthosomatidae.[1] It is native to Australia and New Zealand. There are four species in the genus, of which three are found in New Zealand.

The genus was originally described by W. S. Dallas in 1851. It was redescribed by J. G. Pendergrast in 1952.[2] It contains the following species:
Subgenus Lentimorpha

Rhopalimorpha alpina[1] (Woodward, 1953) – South Island, New Zealand. Localised distribution above 1,000 m elevation on some South Island mountains.[3]

Subgenus Rhopalimorpha

Rhopalimorpha humeralis[1] (Walker, 1867) – Queensland, Australia
Rhopalimorpha obscura[1] (White, 1851) – New Zealand and Chatham Islands
Rhopalimorpha lineolaris[1] (Pendergrast, 1950[4]) – New Zealand

Ecology

R. lineolaris and R. obscura are usually found in riparian habitat, including tussock grasslands, though they have also been found in human-influenced environments like scrubland and pasture. They are usually found on monocotyledons like Phormium sp. and Carex sp., and appear to prefer monocots as host plants for reproduction and development. Neither species is believed to reproduce on dicotyledons.[5]

Very little is known about the ecology of R. alpina.[5]
References

"Genus: Rhopalimorpha". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
Pendergrast, J. G. (1952). "The Genus: Rhopalimorpha Dallas (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae)". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 4 (3): 159–162. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906059. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
Stringer, I. A.N.; Hitchmough, R. A.; Larivière, M.-C.; Eyles, A. C.; Teulon, D. A.J.; Dale, P. J.; Henderson, R. C. (2012-07-01). "The conservation status of New Zealand Hemiptera". New Zealand Entomologist. 35 (2): 110–115. doi:10.1080/00779962.2012.686314. ISSN 0077-9962. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
Pendergrast, J. G. (1950). "The Genus: Rhopalimorpha Dallas (Hemiptera-Heteroptera) with a Description of a New Species". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 4 (1): 31–34. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906041. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
Larivière, Marie-Claude (1995). Cydnidae, Acanthosomatidae, and Pentatomidae (Insecta: Heteroptera): systematics, geographical distribution, and bioecology. Fauna of New Zealand. 35. Lincoln, New Zealand: Manaaki Whenua Press. ISBN 0-478-09301-2. OCLC 717166952.