Order (Heteroptera), section Pentatomoidea

Shield Bugs, so called from the general shape of the adults. Bugs in the family Pentatomidae are shown on a separate page.

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Hawthorn Shield Bug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale (Linnaeus, 1758)

Cambridge (Gwydir Street) 4 Jul 2002 Family Acanthosomatidae Feeds on leaves and fruits Length: 14mm NBN Atlas

Juniper Shield Bug Cyphostethus tristriatus (Fieber, 1860)

Cambridge, Adams Road (TL437587) 26 Jun 2012 Larvae feeds on juniper berries, also cypress Length: 10mm. As well as being smaller than A. haemorrhoidale it lacks the protruding "shoulders", and the red coloration does not stretch so far, leaving boomerang shapes. NBN Atlas

Birch Shield Bug Elasmostethus interstinctus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Cambridge, Bewick Bridge (TL494570) 26 Aug 2014 The larvae feed principally on birch, but may also be found on hazel and aspen Similar in size to C. tristriatus with slight "shoulders"—not as prominent as in A. haemorrhoidale and not so much red. Orange shading on the scutellum. NBN Atlas

Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea (Linnaeus, 1758)

Adult: Old St Ives Railway, TL464614; 20 Sep 2002 Enlarge Nymphs: Adams Road LNR, TL437587; 4 Sep 2007 Enlarge Family Acanthosomatidae Takes its common name from the protective care which the females exercise over eggs and young nymphs. The nymphs, on birch or alder, cluster together even without the parent's presence. Length: 7mm NBN Atlas

Tortoise Shieldbug Eurygaster testudinaria (Geoffroy, 1785)

Nymph, Cambridge, Barnwell East Nature Reserve TL479583. 28 Jul 2015 Family Scutelleridae Larvae feed on grasses Has expanded its range northwards over the last decade, but still very much a southern British species The similar Eurygaster maura remains, for the moment, largely confined to the southeast corner of England NBN Atlas

Bordered Shieldbug Legnotus limbosus (Geoffroy, 1785)

Cambridge (Gwydir Street) 11 May 2015 Family Cydnidae A small shieldbug, around 4mm long Associated with bedstraws (Galium spp.), burrows into loose soil at the base of the plants Widely distributed in southern England, but not many records - probably under-reported because of its burrowing The similar, rarer L. picipes has a shorter white rim and favours drier habitats NBN Atlas

Forget-me-not Shieldbug Sehirus luctuosus Mulsant & Rey, 1866

Cambridge (Gwydir Street) 1 May 2016 Family Cydnidae Host plant is common forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica Widespread in the southern counties. NBN Atlas

Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas bicolor (Linnaeus, 1758)

Cambridge (Byron's Pool TL438548) 26 May 2015 Family Cydnidae A ground-dwelling species, but may be found on the aerial parts of its labiate foodplants: white dead-nettle (Lamium album) and black horehound(Ballota nigra). The similar T. sexmaculatus has recently reached southeast Britain. It has more white at the sides of the pronotum, and a darker wing membrane. NBN Atlas

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