Cyptocephala alvarengai
Cyptocephala alvarengai is a small stink bug from South America. Adults are about 5.2 to 8.3 mm long and can be light brown to green. It lives in dry habitats in northern and central parts of South America and is found in Brazil, with records in Ceará, Bahia, Minas Gerais and Pernambuco. The species was described in 1986 by Rolston, based on Brazilian specimens, and the holotype is kept at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2012, adults were observed feeding on rice panicles at an experimental farm in Goiás. A research colony was started in 2013 from Brazilian specimens to study its biology and potential pest management. Egg masses were collected from rice panicles in 2013 and raised in a lab in São José dos Pinhais. Eggs are barrel-shaped and laid in double rows on leaves, spikelets, and cage walls. From egg to adult takes about 33 days, with most mortality in the egg and early nymph stages. About 45% of nymphs reach adulthood, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.2:1. Adults live 16 to 46 days and begin mating 48–72 hours after emergence. Females lay eggs on panicles and cage walls, and fertility declines with age.
This research helps explain the life cycle and could aid future pest management. Little is known about its host plants, natural enemies, or economic impact, but its feeding on rice panicles suggests it could become a rice pest if populations grow. Its similarities to other rice-feeding stink bugs indicate potential future risks to rice production. In 2017, Barrigossi and colleagues documented a complete life cycle of C. alvarengai on rice (Oryza sativa).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:15 (CET).