GALLERY
Group: SHIELDBUGS
Hawthorn shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 30 May 2022
About: Insects belonging to this species are among the largest shieldbugs found in Great Britain. They can be encountered across the length and breadth of the country, although records from northern Scotland are comparatively few in number. In addition to hawthorn, larval food-plants include oaks, hazel, and birches.
Date range for adult records: 13 May to 30 May
Cow-wheat shieldbug (Adomerus biguttatus)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 12 April 2024
About: Cow-wheat shieldbugs are a rare species in Great Britain, with very few sightings having been made in Scotland in recent decades. The present scarcity in Great Britain is thought to be linked to the decline of traditional canopy-opening woodland management.
Editor's note: It is funny that I spotted this rare species on the day I did, as the observation came during a brisk hour-long walk through the woods to make the start time for an activity in which I was engaged – a walk during which I was endeavouring to avoid any distractions. I stopped just once during the hour, to take a gulp of water, and it was then that I saw the beautiful insect photographed.
Birch shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 26 August 2021
About: This is one of the few species of shieldbug occurring across the length and breadth of Great Britain. Individuals can be found in woodland where birch, hazel, or aspen grows, as well as on isolated urban trees.
Editor's note: Most of the individuals in the photograph are wingless, pre-adult members of the species.
Date range for adult records: 5 May to 17 October
Parent bug (Elasmucha grisea)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 17 June 2022
About: Parent bugs get their name from the maternal brood care exhibited by the species, with female adults guarding eggs and hatched young. These shieldbugs feed on birch and alder and are widespread across Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 4 June to 6 September
Red-legged shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
Where and when encountered: Sluggan (Carrbridge) on 8 July 2022
About: Red-legged shieldbugs – also known as 'forest bugs' – are unusual among Great Britain shieldbug fauna in overwintering in a pre-adult state. They feed on fluids taken from plants and small invertebrates and can be found in most corners of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 27 June to 26 August
Spiked shieldbug (Picromerus bidens)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 6 August 2024
About: Spiked shieldbugs are predatory insects, feeding chiefly on the larvae of butterflies, moths, and sawflies. They can be found from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Date range for adult records: 6 August to 14 September
Gorse shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 10 August 2023
About: Gorse shieldbugs feed on a range of leguminous plants, including gorse and broom (the latter, as in the photograph). They can be found from the far north of Great Britain down to the far south, but most records in Scotland to date have come from locations near the coast.
Editor's note: The individual photographed is a final-instar nymph.
Date range for adult records: 21 April to 25 April
Heather shieldbug (Rhacognathus punctatus)
Where and when encountered: Boat of Garten on 26 August 2024
About: Heather shieldbugs are predatory insects with a strong link to heather and heather-dominated habitats. They may be encountered in various corners of Great Britain but are scarce where present.
Date range for adult records: 9 May to 26 August
Bronze shieldbug (Troilus luridus)
Where and when encountered: Glenmore Forest Park on 24 June 2024
About: Bronze shieldbugs are predatory insects of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, where they feed on the larvae of sawflies, moths, and butterflies. They are more commonly encountered in England and Wales than in Scotland. Recent records from northern and western Scotland are suggestive of an expanding distribution, but the species may not be present (yet) in the far north of the region.
Editor's note: The shieldbug was feeding on the caterpillar of a common quaker moth.
Selected galleries
[ARCTIC ALPINE PLANTS] [BUTTERFLIES] [DRAGONFLIES] [FORBS] [FUNGI] [GALLS] [HYMENOPTERANS] [LONGHORN BEETLES] [MOTHS] [SELECTIONS BY EDITOR] [SHIELDBUGS] [TRUE BUGS] [TRUE FLIES] [UNCOMMON PINEWOOD HERBS] [WOODY PLANTS]