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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Shieldbugs. (2 Viewers)

J Duffie said:
Hi,

about 5 shield bugs around the garden moth traps this morning. Here is a picture of one. I guess from above it is Hawthorne or Birch but not sure how to separate. If you let me know I will try to id them in future

Thanks,
Jamie
Click to expand...

Hello Jamie,
You have a Birch Shieldbug Elasmostethus interstinctus. The Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale is larger and has differently shaped 'shoulders'. A picture of this latter species can be seen in post #42 picture 1 in this thread (page 2).

The best readily available book on these 'bugs' is Roger D. Hawkins Shieldbugs of Surrey. It contains photographs of all the British species, and many nymphs and identification keys. At £15 for a hardback book it is very good value for money.

There are a good number of Shieldbugs displayed on the following website:-
http://www.bioimages.org.uk/

Some 14 species have been recorded from Northumberland and Durham. perhaps half of which are relatively common, or likely to be met with by the casual observer. If you have any problems with ID send me or post a picture here.

Harry
 
More heraldic bugs for Harry

The first of these was in a light trap on the Teifi estuary in Wales on 8th August and the other was on Lemon Verbena in my garden near Peterborough on 18th August.
 

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brianhstone said:
The first of these was in a light trap on the Teifi estuary in Wales on 8th August and the other was on Lemon Verbena in my garden near Peterborough on 18th August.
Click to expand...

Hello Brian,
Your specimens are:-
1. Forest Shieldbug, Pentatoma rufipes.
2. Birch Shieldbug, Elasmostethus interstinctus.

Both are common and widely distributed species, and are by no means confined to the areas or tree species that their common names suggest. They commonly turn up in suburban gardens and not infrequently in light traps.

Harry
 
Hi Brian

If you look to an earlier reply from me you will see that I attached a photo of the same shieldbug as your 2nd one and Harry Eales ID'd it as a Birch Shieldbug. I have no idea what the first one is but then again I know nothing about shieldbugs
 
Reader said:
Hi Brian

If you look to an earlier reply from me you will see that I attached a photo of the same shieldbug as your 2nd one and Harry Eales ID'd it as a Birch Shieldbug. I have no idea what the first one is but then again I know nothing about shieldbugs
Click to expand...

Actually both these species have been posted more than twice in this column, but who's going to search through four pages of posts, lol.
I don't mind repeating myself and it does give new viewers to the column a variety of different shots to look at.

Harry
 
harry eales said:
Actually both these species have been posted more than twice in this column, but who's going to search through four pages of posts, lol.
I don't mind repeating myself and it does give new viewers to the column a variety of different shots to look at.

Harry
Click to expand...

Err, so what is the first one to save us that mammoth search. LOL
 
harry eales said:
Scroll down page 1 of this thread Reader, I'm sure you will find it. lol.

Harry
Click to expand...

How embarrassing!! I must admit to not opening that 1st thumbnail thinking that there was no way I would know what it was anyway. Now that I have opened it it is the same Shieldbug I posted on page 1. Doh!!
 
Reader said:
How embarrassing!! I must admit to not opening that 1st thumbnail thinking that there was no way I would know what it was anyway. Now that I have opened it it is the same Shieldbug I posted on page 1. Doh!!
Click to expand...

Hello Reader,
Sorry I couldn't resist that one, but it does have an upside. The more you see a specimen or a picture thereof, the easier it is to recognise it in the future.

I'm always in an impish mood after a litre of sherry. lol.

Harry
 
Bug ID Please

Came across this fellow tonight. Hopefully our resident bug expert (Harry) or some other knowledgable person could give me an ID.
 

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SleepyLizard said:
In an attempt at answering my own question, how about Forest Bug, Pentatoma rufipes
Click to expand...

Your quite correct Alan. P.rufipes The Forest Shieldbug, a nice specimen although it appeares to be missing the usual red spot on the tip of the scutellum.

Harry
 
Thanks Malky and Harry for the replies.

harry eales said:
Your quite correct Alan. P.rufipes The Forest Shieldbug, a nice specimen although it appeares to be missing the usual red spot on the tip of the scutellum.
Click to expand...

Yes that's what confused me at first but I then I found a few pics on the Net which looked the same. Is that particulary unusual???
 
SleepyLizard said:
Thanks Malky and Harry for the replies.



Yes that's what confused me at first but I then I found a few pics on the Net which looked the same. Is that particulary unusual???
Click to expand...

Hello Alan,
I've never come across a single specimen of P.rufipes without the spot.
I have found odd variants where the spots are either white, yellow, orange or red. All minor colour variants, I suppose I find one colour variety for every 50 or so specimens examined. It's certainly interesting seeing one without the spot. In an average year I come across several hundred specimens when out beating trees for lepidopterous larva.

Harry
 
"I've never come across a single specimen of P.rufipes without the spot.
I have found odd variants where the spots are either white, yellow, orange or red. All minor colour variants, I suppose I find one colour variety for every 50 or so specimens examined. It's certainly interesting seeing one without the spot. In an average year I come across several hundred specimens when out beating trees for lepidopterous larva."

Harry, I look at at that as well. I took the photo and raised the colour levels. The spot is there, but it seems to be partially hidden by the wings.

Regards

Malky.
 

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alcedo.atthis said:
"I've never come across a single specimen of P.rufipes without the spot.
I have found odd variants where the spots are either white, yellow, orange or red. All minor colour variants, I suppose I find one colour variety for every 50 or so specimens examined. It's certainly interesting seeing one without the spot. In an average year I come across several hundred specimens when out beating trees for lepidopterous larva."

Harry, I look at at that as well. I took the photo and raised the colour levels. The spot is there, but it seems to be partially hidden by the wings.

Regards

Malky.
Click to expand...
Hello Malky,
I did the same thing this afternoon and the red spot appeared, it just goes to show you that photographs don't always tell the truth, or the camera does lie.
The red spot must be pretty dull though, I had to use quite a lot of increase in brightness to get it into plain view and those levels distorted the colour of the checked band around the wing cases. Still, it is identifiable purely on the shape of the 'shield', there's nothing else like it, at least on the British List.

Harry
 
last night in one of my moth traps I had
21 Forest Shieldbug
1 Birch Shieldbug (new to me)
1 Hawthorn Shieldbug.

Is the birch one usually smaller than the other 2?

I wonder if this thread could be made Sticky, I think its a good resource and I'll go back to it everytime I need to ID a Shielbug.
 
Angus T said:
last night in one of my moth traps I had
21 Forest Shieldbug
1 Birch Shieldbug (new to me)
1 Hawthorn Shieldbug.

Is the birch one usually smaller than the other 2?

I wonder if this thread could be made Sticky, I think its a good resource and I'll go back to it everytime I need to ID a Shielbug.
Click to expand...

Hello Angus,
That's a hell of a good catch of Shieldbugs for one trap, I seldom get more than two or three. The Birch Shieldbug is smaller than the Hawthorn Shieldbug and they have different outline shapes.

Size wise the Hawthorn Shieldbug is usually between 12-16mm in length, the Birch Shieldbug is 9-11mm in length, measured nose to tail so to speak and ignoring the antennae. There is a third green-red/brown species called the Juniper Shieldbug, but I understand there is only one, very old, and unverified record for Ireland. This may possibly be confused with the Birch Shieldbug by a beginner.

As for making this thread a 'Sticky' I believe only Moderators can do this. There are some other threads on Shieldbug ID which could also be transferred into this current thread. Combining all the Shieldbug enquiries under one heading would make it easier for others to search.

Just out of curiosity Angus, was the trap that caught your big catch of Shieldbugs, MV or Actinic?

Harry
 
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