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Two-dots Gum Tree Shield Bug - Poecilometis parilis
Family Pentatomidae
This page contains pictures and information about Two-dots Gum Tree Shield Bugs that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Male and female, body length 20mm.
- The Shield Bugs are fairy common in Brisbane forest and bushland. Many other bug species look very similar and hard to be identified. Bugs in this Pentatomidae family are known also as stink bugs and produce foul smelling defensive liquids.
- This bug usually found feeding on smooth-bark gum tree trunk alone on mid summer. The bug inserts its sucking mouthparts into the gum tree bark sucking sap.
- The bug was also found resting on wattle leaves in Toohey Forest during early winter.
- This bug is medium small in size. It is reddish to orange brown in colours with a black dot on centre of each wing. The antenna are five-segmented with each segment about equal length..
- Those bugs were either found feeding on tree trunk or resting on leaves.
- We believe they are on leaves for looking for their mates.
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Nymph
- 5th instars, body length 15mm
- Reference:
- 1. Stink Bugs of Australia - FaunaKeys, Australian Museum online 2003.
- 2. Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland - Queensland Museum Publications 2000, p88, (Poecilometis gravis).
- 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 41.
- 4. Plant-feeding and Other Bugs (Hemiptera) of South Australia. Heteroptera-Part II - Gross, G.F. (1976). Adelaide: A.B. James, p308.
