Black & White Stinker

Species Stiretrus anchorago - Anchor Stink Bug

Other Common Names

Anchor Bug

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Orig. Comb: Cimex anchorago Fabricius 1775

A handsome species that comes in a variety of color forms. There is only one North American species recognized in this genus. In 1971 two entomologists proposed a new species, Stiretrus fimbriatus, but others believed the proposed species was simply a color variant of S. anchorago.

Stiretrus anchorago

Explanation of Names

anchorago is Latin, though the exact meaning and origin is unclear. One possibility is that it comes from anchora- "anchor" + ago- "to act, do", with the implication of acting as or putting on the appearance of an anchor. While the correct spelling would be ancora, anchora was an alternate spelling that first appeared in the Middle Ages, and could still be found in some dictionaries in Fabricius' day.

The other possibility is that Fabricius used the word anchorago (also spelled ancorago, being perhaps an alteration of ancoratus (Adams, 2007, The Regional Diversification of Latin, p. 296--via Googlebooks). This is an obscure term for a fish said to be found in the Rhine. Modern speculation is that it is most likely a salmon, especially the breeding form with hooked jaws (Adams, 2007 and LATCict). Adams suggests it is based on a compound of Gaulish anco (bent, crooked) plus rago (before, in front), meaning "fish with a hooked snout". While it's tempting to connect the meaning with attributes of the salmon, Fabricius would only have known it as a word for some species of fish.

Identification

Both markings and color are variable, but generally includes a variably-shaped dark central band running from the head toward the rear of the insect. The pale area on the right and left sides of the pronotum contain one to three dark spots (usually two). The dark color is dark blue to black. The light color may be white, pink, yellow, orange, or red.

Internet References

Featured Creatures - David B. Richman and Frank W. Mead, 2001

Systema entomologiae, p.699    Fabricius' original description of the species

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