The MGS Forum
Gardening in mediterranean climates => Wildlife in the garden (birds, butterflies, and how to attract them) => Topic started by: Daisy on September 02, 2011, 08:56:34 AM
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These beetles? moved on to my bronze fennel in their hundreds a few weeks ago.
They don't appear to be doing any damage, but I would love to know what they are, and why they have moved in, in such large numbers.
Any ideas?
Daisy :)
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/001-5.jpg)
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Looks like Italian stink bugs (Graphosoma italicum), or Shield bugs, they are usually found on umbelliferous plants, like your fennels. They are probably so abundant because of having few predators (scary colouring and stinking?). I found some interesting information about this here: http://www.apcon.gr/pelion/fauna_heteroptera_gitalicum.html
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Thanks JTh. It's good to know who my visitors are.
Although they must be eating, there is no discernible damage to the fennel.
I wish all my insect visitors were as benign. ::) ::) ::)
Daisy :)
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Enjoy your fennels and your bugs, Daisy, they (the bugs) seem to be very colourful, do they stink? Many bugs (Heteroptera) stink, like the bedbug and those that are ruining the taste of rasberries and other berries.
Jorun
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I find true bugs fascinating, especially regarding their patterns. Eminently photographable.
Within their group, the shield bugs (Pentatomoidea) are my favourite.
It is worth noting that, unlike butterfiles, moths and beetles and some other groups of insect, they end-up as adults having passed through a progression of immature stages (nymphs), gradually get more like the adult. The nymphs moult to get from one stage to the next; there is no pupal stage. As you get to know and recognize more species of heteroptera, be prepared to find ones that look familiar but 'not quite right'; they are probably near-adult nymphs.
This year the capers on the bank at the back of my property were looking very healthy. ...Until beset by young nymphs of some sort of bug; I think one of the shield bugs. Within a couple of days, the leaves had been sucked dry, many falling off. I was hoping to see a progression in the nymphs, hopefully eventually seeing what the adult looked like. But they have all gone!
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Is there a good book or internet site for bug nymphs?
there are loads of red and black beetles in my garden. In French they are called "gendarmes". they don't seem to do any damage. Also there are plenty of stinking shield bugs, which try to find their way into my bedroom in Autumn to hibernate. :o
I don't mind a bit of insect damage in the garden and as the garden is somewhat isolated, there are few problems of infestations. I saw a beautiful great green bush cricket today. :)
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Book on bug nymphs...
I don't think there is a complete book on bugs (sensu hemiptera/heteroptera) worldwide. Ditto for shield bugs. Even less likely to find one with good coverage of the nymphs as well.
You'd need to aim for a book specific to your region. For instance, in the UK:
"Evans, M.; Edmondson, R.
A Photographic Guide to Shieldbugs and Squashbugs of the British Isles
Field Guide with colour photos, identification features and life histories for each of the 33 shield bugs and 10 squashbugs resident in Britain (Acanthosmatidae, Scutelleridae, Cydnidae, Thyreocoridae, Pentatomidae, Coreidae). Colour key with side by side photographs
206 col photos. 123pp.
[13228] 2005 PB £14.95"
(http://www.pembooks.demon.co.uk/new06.html (http://www.pembooks.demon.co.uk/new06.html))
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flying beetle
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I don't know what this is, but I know they are not proper beetles (belonging to the order Coleoptera), which have a sort of hard shield which covers the wings more or less completely when they are not flying. This one seems to be more like a Hemiptera/Heteroptera ('bugs'). Hilberry previously asked for some books/info about bugs, I found something that might be a short introduction called Bugguide at http://bugguide.net/node/view/94266. One interesting piece of information there:
'How to tell a bug from a beetle:
[copied from Jim McClarin's comment on an image no longer available]
The first thing I look at is the antennae. If they are long-to-medium length but have fewer than six segments (4-5), then it's a bug. Beetles have many more segments (antennomeres) in their antennae.'
The one showed by the cypriot have few (4?), but long segments.
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It is one of the assassin bugs, probably in the family Reduviidae.
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Dear Cypriot your beetle is probably the famous gendarme beetle, Pyrrhocoris apterus but then it could be Lygaeus equestris or even Hylecoetus dermestoides!! They are Heteroptera or plant bugs with piercing and sucking mouthparts with modified forewings....the majority are plant feeders.
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Cypriot's gendarme isn't the same as "my" gendarme, which has a total hard casing along it's body [ie, all red and black, must look closer] Similar shape though.
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Thanks for the beetle site, JTh. I know exactly where "my" gendarmes are gathering together under a stone, so I'll check them tomorrow.
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I don't think it looks like Hylecoetus dermestoides, but more like Pyrrhocoris apterus and Lygaeus sp,, (milkweed bugs) or even elderbox bug (Boisea trivittatus), but not exactly like any of them
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I agree with "Lygaeus sp,, (milkweed bugs) or even elderbox bug (Boisea trivittatus)."
Bear in mind when having trouble finding exact matches, you could be looking at a late instar rather than an adult.
Also, it could be that the red/black markings are naturally variable - as happens to some extent with the various burnet moths and with lady birds (beetles) (Hmmm.... Why are red/black markings in insects/invertebrates prone to variability?)
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Lygaeus saxatilis.
Piccy in Paul Sterry's 'Complete Mediterranean Wildlife' (Collins, 2000), p.168
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For those of you not being the lucky owner of that book, there are plenty of other photos here: http://www.google.no/search?q=Lygaeus+saxatilis.&hl=no&rlz=1C1SKPL_enNO432&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DOx4TsGjNom1hAfbycjcCw&ved=0CB0QsAQ&biw=1179&bih=965
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Lygaeus seems to be synonymous with Spilostethus, hence some images can be found under Spilostethus saxatilis.
(I can't be sure it is synonymy of genera per se; it could be part of a larger rearrangement of species within genera in the Lygaeidae or Lygaeinae.)
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Thank you for the identification of the beetle.
I do know that these are ladybirds!
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You could use those as Christmas cards.
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Nice observation.
They are seven-spot ladybirds - Coccinella septempunctata.