Mining morphology of dirt-colored seed bug (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae) tribes for accurate and rapid identifications

Dichotomous keys are especially useful tools enabling taxonomists, particularly entomologists within USDA-APHIS-PPQ for making rapid, repeatable, and accurate identifications of plant-pests for the purposes of immediate quarantine action on commodities across the nation.  However, many dichotomous keys rely on a handful of diagnostic characters that may not be easily observed by a non-specialist, thereby yielding spurious identifications.  One family of insects is often miss-identified, even to tribe, is Rhyparochromidae.  These herbivorous insects are some of the most frequently intercepted Heteroptera throughout the nation. Their identification to tribe is based on difficult-to-observe characters, such as the position of the abdominal spiracles and trichobothria.  To improve accurate identifications of these insects, I am developing an interactive on-line taxonomic key of all 15 tribes of Rhyparochromidae using the software Lucid.  Exemplars from each tribe will be selected based on information in USDA databases and literature.  Some of the diagnostic characters used in this key will include male and female genitalia; length of labrum and labium; number of veins on membrane; morphology of the pronotum; and conventional characters, such as position of spiracles.  Additional information will include images of characters; selected views of each exemplar; distribution maps; host plants; and links to literature for each tribe.  Once completed, this key will be made available on the internet allowing anyone from the USDA direct access in making sound regulatory decisions.