Members of the Pentatomoidea superfamily get their common name from the shield-like shape of the adults. In many areas, particularly North America, they are also known as Stink bugs due to the repulsive-smelling, aldehyde-based, sticky substance which is secreted from paired glands found on the thorax between the first and second pairs of legs of some species when the insect is threatened. Most predators find the taste of stink bugs as unsavoury as its smell.
32 species of shieldbugs reside in the British Isles and contain representatives from 5 different families, the most numerous of which are the Pentatomidae.
Picromerus bidens is one of the few shieldbugs that is carnivorous. Most of the other members of the Pentatomidae are sap-feeders.
Sloe Bug (Pentatomidae: Dolycoris baccarum) |
Sloe Bug (Pentatomidae: Dolycoris baccarum) |
Pentatomidae: Carpocoris fuscispinus |
Pentatomidae: Graphosoma italicum |
Graphosoma italicum advertises its noxious taste with its bold colour scheme.
Tambopata, Peru - December 2008 |
Forest Bug (Pentatomidae: Pentatoma rufipes) |
The Birch Shieldbug is a member of the Acanthosomatidae. They differ from the Pentatomidae in having only 2 tarsal segments on each leg compared to the 3 segments found on members of the Pentatomidae. There are 4 species of Acanthosomatidae that occur in the British Isles.
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