|
|
Zebra Gum Tree Shield Bug - Poecilometis histricus
Family Pentatomidae
This page contains pictures and information about Zebra Gum Tree Shield Bugs that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Length 20mm
- We took those pictures at Macgregor and Wishart bushland from later winter to late summer. They look similar to the other Gum Tree Shield Bugs that we found.
- This is the medium size stink bug. On body there are the coarse dense brownish punctuations and patches and lines of chocolate brown on yellowish brown ground colour.
- The bug is usually found feeding on smooth bark gum tree trunk. They suck the juice from the Gum tree.
- However, we sometimes found them sucking nectar on flowers and feeding on Monkey Rope (Parsonsia straminea).
- Bugs in this family are known also as stink bugs and produce foul smelling defensive liquids.
- The small hole between its legs, is the scent-gland outlet, from which the bug ejects the smelly liquid. The other holes on its abdomen are the spiracles where air enter the insect body for respiration.
Nymphs
-
- 3rd instars
- 4th instars
- 5th instars, body length 15mm
- There are many different species of Gum Tree Shield Bugs which look similar. Their nymph are even harder to be distinguished. We found this nymph on the same tree trunk with the adult many time and we are quite sure that they are the same species.
- 5th instars
- Reference:
- 1. Stink Bugs of Australia - FaunaKeys, Australian Museum online 2003.
- 2. Insect Reference Collection Database - Department of Agriculture Western Australia.
- 3. A revision of the species of Australian and New Guinea shield bugs formerly placed in the genera Poecilometis Dallas and Eumecopus Dallas (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), with description of new species and selection of lectotypes. - Gross, G.F. (1972). Aust. J. Zool. Suppl. Ser. 15: 1-192 (description, revision), Fig 32.
- 4. Poecilometis histricus Stål, 1865 - Types of Heteroptera, Swedish Museum of Natural History.
- 5. Species Poecilometis histricus Stål, 1865 - Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Heritage, Commonwealth of Australia 2008.
