Classification > Superfamily
Reduvioidea
> Family
Reduviidae
> Subfamily
Harpactorinae
> Tribe
Harpactorini
> Genus
Arilus
Arilus carinatus (Forster 1771)
Arilus carinatus from P.N. Iguazu, Misiones.
Geographic distribution
Distribution
No economic damages registered
- Argentina
- Misiones
Other distribution
Also known from Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru (Maldonado Capriles 1990).
- Cimex carinatus Forster 1771
- Reduvius serratus Fabricius 1775
- Cimex cristatus Goeze 1778
- Prionotus xanthopus Walker 1873
The wheel bug is diurnal but it has been found at lights, apparently attracted to the prey coming to the lights. Arilus cristatus is an especially valuable predator in forest and shade trees because it preys on the well-protected hairy caterpillars that are defoliators (Mead 1999).
This species have been found on cotton, goldenrod, sunflower, and other flowers, trunks of locust trees, citrus and pecan groves, and miscellaneous forest, shade, and fruit trees (Mead 1999).
- MALDONADO CAPRILES, J. 1990. Systematic catalogue of the Reduviidae of the World (Insecta: Heteroptera). Caribbean Journal of Science, special edition, i-x, 1-694.
- MEAD, F.W. 1999. Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae). University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, EENY-086.
