Loxa viridis (Palisot de Beauvois, 1805)

Location: Recife-PE, Brazil.

The Loxa viridis is a species of the family Pentatomidae.

Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha: Pentatomoidea: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Chlorocorini

There are three members of Loxa extremely similar in Brazil: Loxa deducta (Walker, 1867), Loxa virescens (Amyot & Serville, 1843) and Loxa viridis (Palisot de Beauvois, 1805, according to some places, while in others, Palisot, 1811). All have a distribution in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

L. viridis occurs, according to a source that I will make available below, from Florida and the Téxas to Brazil and Argentina; Floreana, Isabela, Santa Cruz. I had to study their morphology to differentiate them.

The general color of L. viridis is green. The lateral margins of the yaws are lighter in color than the disk on the head. The anterolateral margins on the pronotum are serrated, usually lighter in color than the disc on the pronotum; humeral angles very projected like acute spines, moderately or very high in shape, directed laterally or anterolaterally, concolorous with the anterolateral margins or red. They have a pale spot at the apex of the radial venation. Males measure about 18.3 to 25.3mm, while females range from 18.9 to 25.3mm.

L. virescens have a generalized green coloration. The pronotum usually has a transverse line of pale wrinkles between the humeral angles; humeral spines are usually lighter in color than the disc on the pronotum, rarely red; anterolateral margins are crenulate. The corium usually has a pale discoid spot, this being usually concolorous and obscure or entirely absent. Males usually measure between 18.7 and 21.4 mm, while females measure between 19.2 and 24.7 mm.

L. deducta has a generalized green coloration. The jugas have dense red punctuations on the lateral and median margins, these often concolorous with the median band. The clypeus has a median band usually punctuated to about the median base. The anterolateral margin of the pronotum is serrated; humeral angles developed into elevated, laterally projected spines. The corium has numerous pale, scattered calli. Adult males measure between 13.3 and 16.3mm and females between 16.3 and 19.4mm.

In general, the genus Loxa feeds on: Anarcadiaceae (Lythraea brasiliensis March.; Schinus molle L.) ("Gray Mush"; "Aroeira-Mansa"), Euphorbiaceae (Sebatiania klotzschiana (Müll. Arg.)) ("Branquinho"), Fabaceae (Glycine max (L. ) Merrill; Bauhinia candicans Benth.; Tipuana tipu (Benth.) DC.) ("Soybean"; "Cow-paw"; "Tipa"); Oleaceae (Ligustrum lucidium (Ait.)) ("Ligustrum"); Solanaceae (Solanum sisymbrifolium Lam.) ("Joá").

The conclusion I have come to is that the subject pictured is a Loxa viridis, but since I am not an expert and giving the benefit of the doubt, I will leave the species as doubtful until further notice. Loxa viridis is a member of the order Hemiptera, suborder Heteroptera, infraorder Pentatomomorpha, superfamily Pentatomoidea, family Pentatomidae, subfamily Pentatominae and tribe Chlorocorini, although some entities place them within tribe Pentatomini.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Superfamily:	Pentatomoidea
Family:	Pentatomidae
Genus:	Loxa
Species:	L. viridis
Binomial name
*Loxa viridis* (Palisot, 1811)