Shieldbugs. (4 Viewers)

[Fuchsia]

Lol Harry. Nice one Alan, good to see something 'odd'.
I'm sure these aren't but I'm pretty sure they haven't been on here before - maybe in different stages. One is a nymph and it's so hard to find pics of anything but adults on the www.

Jen

 

[harry eales]

Lol Harry. Nice one Alan, good to see something 'odd'.
I'm sure these aren't but I'm pretty sure they haven't been on here before - maybe in different stages. One is a nymph and it's so hard to find pics of anything but adults on the www.

Jen

Hello Jen, :hi:

I'll have to a little more checking on pic 1. It looks like a nymph of Nezara viridula but nymphs often change colour from instar to instar. Your other picture appears to be a specimen of Holcotethus vernalis. Again I want to check further to be certain. I'll get back to you when I'm positive.

Harry

 

[Nerine]

It's a specimen of Eurydema oleraceum. No English common name, as would be expected, but in Germany it is known as Kohlwanza. (Don't ask, I don't know what it means).

A beautiful little beastie isn't it. Typically, it had to be French to look so sexy. lol.

Harry

Hi Harry
Hi Jen

We get these in Guernsey too! They can be seen on Sea Radish. As far as I know there is no common name for them here either.

Happy bug hunting!

Nerine

 

[steve covey]

Lurid Shieldbug?

Hi Harry,
this was posted to British Insects yahoo group - is this ID correct [not my pic by the way - unfortunately ]
http://bollocks-designs.co.uk/temp/forest.html
cheers,

Steve.

 

[harry eales]

Hi Harry,
this was posted to British Insects yahoo group - is this ID correct [not my pic by the way - unfortunately ]
http://bollocks-designs.co.uk/temp/forest.html
cheers,

Steve.

Hello Steve,

It is Troilus luridus. It has two common English names, the old one was the Stealthy Shieldbug which seems to have been replaced recently by the Lurid Shieldbug. The yellow band on the antennae gives it away, along with other points of ID. I had to do some adjustments to the picture to make absolutely sure, those posted were a bit on the dark side.

It's a widely distributed bug over most of England and Wales, but seldom seen, as it keeps very much to the upper branches of trees.

Harry

EDIT. I see the latest AIDGAP publication on Shieldbugs calls it the Bronze Shieldbug. English names can get confusing at times. lol.

 

[Fuchsia]

Hi Harry,
this was posted to British Insects yahoo group - is this ID correct [not my pic by the way - unfortunately ]
Steve.

Steve, that's an interesting URL! I'm hoping the other buggy on that page is a Gorse cos it's exactly like the one in my file - they seem very variable and I'm easily confused :h?:

Harry, I'm having a problem finding anything about Holcotethus vernalis.

Nerine - see Guernsey is sexy too!

Jen

 

[harry eales]

Steve, that's an interesting URL! I'm hoping the other buggy on that page is a Gorse cos it's exactly like the one in my file - they seem very variable and I'm easily confused :h?:

Harry, I'm having a problem finding anything about Holcotethus vernalis.

Nerine - see Guernsey is sexy too!

Jen

Hello Jen, :hi:
If your refering to the side shot in the URL steve posted, it is of the same species T.luridus Finding out any information on H.vernalis is difficult. There are a lot of pictures of shieldbugs on the web, but very little about their biology, habitat or distribution. Try typing the name into Google and have a look through the results. It may take a while but you might find something.

If you have a picture of a species you can't ID, post it here and I will do my best to help you get a determination.

Harry

 

[Fuchsia]

Hello Jen, :hi:
If your refering to the side shot in the URL steve posted, it is of the same species T.luridus Harry

Nope, the one above - mine looks like the attached.

Thanks Harry

Jen :h?:

 

[harry eales]

Nope, the one above - mine looks like the attached.

Thanks Harry

Jen :h?:

Hello again Jen,
I tried sending you a reply to your PM, but your inbox is full and the message can't be sent until you do a little spring cleaning, by deleting a few messages.

Your Shieldbug thumbnail above is a real cracker of a Shieldbug, but, its isn't a British Species. It is similar to our Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale, but does differ in that the Hawthorn Shieldbug does not have the silver/grey margin on the forewing case. It's not in my German Shieldbug book either so it means looking through various websites in the hope that is shown there. Sorry there's no instant ID. It certainly isn't the Gorse or Lurid/Bronze/Stealthy Shieldbugs either.

Harry

 

[Fuchsia]

Sorry Harry, I have now Sprung!
I've done it to you again, and I thought you would just say, 'yes it is'. Soz!
I based the ID on the pic at link below, which is probably not reliable.

http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/insects/pentatomidae.htm

Cheers
Jen :flowers:

 

[Fuchsia]

Ha! Interestingly - this is on the same site

http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/insects/shield.htm

How annoying is finding your creature and realising they don't know what it is either!!

Jen

 

[harry eales]

Ha! Interestingly - this is on the same site

http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/insects/shield.htm

How annoying is finding your creature and realising they don't know what it is either!!

Jen

Hello Jen, :hi:
I know what you mean Jen, I've been there many time myself over several decades. A pity the WWW wasn't around in those days.

Harry :storm:

 

[Fuchsia]

I have found Holcostethus vernalis (only 4 pages on Google and very few pics) and am sure you are right - as usual ))

http://www.insektenbox.de/wanzen/holcov.htm

Thanks again
Jen

 

[steve covey]

Hello Steve,

It is Troilus luridus. It has two common English names, the old one was the Stealthy Shieldbug which seems to have been replaced recently by the Lurid Shieldbug. The yellow band on the antennae gives it away, along with other points of ID. I had to do some adjustments to the picture to make absolutely sure, those posted were a bit on the dark side.

It's a widely distributed bug over most of England and Wales, but seldom seen, as it keeps very much to the upper branches of trees.

Harry

EDIT. I see the latest AIDGAP publication on Shieldbugs calls it the Bronze Shieldbug. English names can get confusing at times. lol.

Thanks for that confirmation Harry. I'll need a long stick to beat them out of the branches then . I've not had any success so far with beating. All the gales we've had must have already 'beat' everything onto the ground. I saw an Oak Bush Cricket on the ground the other day - they normally stick to the trees unless attracted to light after dark!
By the way, a chap called Alan Binding has also replied [on the British Insects group] agreeing with us [unknowingly] but also stating that the other pics [of the same bug as Fuschia's] are of a Gorse Shieldbug in Autumn colours!?

 

[Fuchsia]

By the way, a chap called Alan Binding has also replied [on the British Insects group] agreeing with us [unknowingly] but also stating that the other pics [of the same bug as Fuschia's] are of a Gorse Shieldbug in Autumn colours!?

Oops - I should apologise for calling the aforementioned website 'not reliable'! :eek!:

Jen

 

[harry eales]

Thanks for that confirmation Harry. I'll need a long stick to beat them out of the branches then . I've not had any success so far with beating. All the gales we've had must have already 'beat' everything onto the ground. I saw an Oak Bush Cricket on the ground the other day - they normally stick to the trees unless attracted to light after dark!
By the way, a chap called Alan Binding has also replied [on the British Insects group] agreeing with us [unknowingly] but also stating that the other pics [of the same bug as Fuschia's] are of a Gorse Shieldbug in Autumn colours!?

Hello Steve,
Beating is not very successful during or immediately after a gale. Give it a few days and try again. Birch, Hawthorn (or similar berried bushes), and Oak should give you some results before the season is over.

I'm not sure whether its the alcohol I've tippled tonight, but to which post of Fuschias were you referring to? she has posted a few of late. I'm under the affluence of incahol at the moment. lol.

Harry
I'll be sober tomorrow, I hope. lol.

 

[harry eales]

Sorry Harry, I have now Sprung!
I've done it to you again, and I thought you would just say, 'yes it is'. Soz!
I based the ID on the pic at link below, which is probably not reliable.

http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/insects/pentatomidae.htm

Cheers
Jen :flowers:

Hello Jen, :hi:
I have had a look at your URL and in relation to the Gorse Shieldbug pictured there, I'm not at all sure that the centre picture is a Gorse Shieldbug, it differs too much in outline and colour. Possibly an error in posting the picture to that website.

Harry

 

[Angus T]

Well Harry, here's another that I now think may be a Shieldbug nymph. It was swept from grass in July. Really very small, only about 3-4mm in length.

Also found what looks like a final instar nymph. Have no pic as camera not working, but is similar shape to 2nd picture in post #148.
Mine has pale joints in the antennae. The front part of top od body is dark green. The back part is green. The edging around the back part are black dashes. There are 4 bands across the back. 2 middle ones are broad, the front is narrow and the back is narrow and short. A few white hairs on the beast as well. And there is an overall speckling which is really only visible with lens.

 

[harry eales]

Well Harry, here's another that I now think may be a Shieldbug nymph. It was swept from grass in July. Really very small, only about 3-4mm in length.

Also found what looks like a final instar nymph. Have no pic as camera not working, but is similar shape to 2nd picture in post #148.
Mine has pale joints in the antennae. The front part of top od body is dark green. The back part is green. The edging around the back part are black dashes. There are 4 bands across the back. 2 middle ones are broad, the front is narrow and the back is narrow and short. A few white hairs on the beast as well. And there is an overall speckling which is really only visible with lens.

Hello Angus,

Your pictures are of a shieldbug nymph, I cannot say I have seen these before, and, as they tend to change both shape and colour with each instar they are difficult to pin down. I have nothing in my books that show so young a nymph.

Regarding your second query, was it beneath a tree by any chance when you swept it, if so, what sort of tree? The reason I ask is there are some bugs that are terrestrial, others arborial. ID'ing from a description is fraut with danger. lol. Also, it's very late in the year now for nymphs of any species to be about, although there's always a chance it may turn into an adult any day soon. If you can manage a picture somehow it would help.

In the meantime I'll try and run down your little ones on the WWW.

Harry

 

[Angus T]

Hello Angus,

Your pictures are of a shieldbug nymph, I cannot say I have seen these before, and, as they tend to change both shape and colour with each instar they are difficult to pin down. I have nothing in my books that show so young a nymph.

Regarding your second query, was it beneath a tree by any chance when you swept it, if so, what sort of tree? The reason I ask is there are some bugs that are terrestrial, others arborial. ID'ing from a description is fraut with danger. lol. Also, it's very late in the year now for nymphs of any species to be about, although there's always a chance it may turn into an adult any day soon. If you can manage a picture somehow it would help.

In the meantime I'll try and run down your little ones on the WWW.

Harry

I reckoned you're having too easy a time.

As for the 2nd one, I think I took it off a birch tree. Struggling to remember though. I've let it go, so won't see the adult.