RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF STINK BUGS (HEMIPTERA, PENTATOMIDAE) IN SOUTHWESTERN COLOMBIA RICE FIELDS

Relative abundance of stink bugs was determined from 01 May 1989 to 30 September 1992 in 80 commercial rice fields in Colombia and in 12 sel ected rice-producing countries of Latin America. Fifteen stink bug spe cies from nine genera were found in Colombia. The species are Oebalus ornatus (Sailer), Mormidea maculata Dallas, Tribraca obscurata Bergrot h, M. pictiventris Stal, O. pugnax torridus (Sailer), Proxys punctulat us (Palisot de Beauvois), O. insularis (Stal), T. limbativentris Stal, and O. ypsilongriseus (De Geer). In Valle del Cauca Department in sou thwestern Colombia, the most abundant species was O. ornatus represent ing 94.1% of the stink bugs collected. Seven species comprised the rem aining 5.9%. Oebalus ornatus and O. ypsilongriseus were recovered from seven Latin America countries and had the widest geographical range o f the stink bugs species collected during the study.