Diet

• Adults and nymphs: Primarily plant-feeding, using their piercing-sucking mouthparts to extract fluids from leaves, stems, flowers and developing plant tissues.

• Feeding can cause wilting, yellowing, browning and deformation of plant tissues, and heavy infestations can kill young plants.

Range

• Murgantia is a genus of stink bugs (Family Pentatomidae) in the Subfamily Pentatominae and Tribe Pentatomini.

• The genus is primarily Neotropical, with species occurring in Mexico, Central America, South America and parts of the Caribbean.

• Around Zihua, Murgantia would be expected to be occasional to locally common, particularly in areas containing suitable host plants. The tropical climate and the presence of native and cultivated Brassicaceae provide suitable conditions.

Habitat

• Species occur in tropical and subtropical vegetation, including tropical dry forest, woodland, scrub, agricultural areas, gardens and disturbed habitats.

• Murgantia histrionica is especially associated with cultivated and wild members of the mustard family.

• In suitable habitat, adults and nymphs can occur together on the same host plants, particularly where plants are actively growing.

Size

• Murgantia species are generally medium-sized stink bugs.

• Murgantia histrionica, the best-known species, reaches approximately 9.5 mm in length.

• Adults have a broad, flattened, shield-shaped body.

• M. histrionica is particularly conspicuous, with a striking pattern of red, orange, yellow, white and black.

• The forewings overlap when at rest, producing a characteristic X-shaped pattern across the back.