Forest Bug?

[Toby]

presume this is Pentatoma rufipes, found on Bamboo today:

[Pudding4brains]

Hi Toby

Originally Posted by Toby

presume this is Pentatoma rufipes

'fraid not.

Not quite sure what it is though and I don't really know what you guys got over there bug wise ...

Depending greatly on size (??!) I would tend to think Elasmucha (small: around 8mm?) or maybe something in the direction of Rhaphigaster (large: 12mm++) but the antennae don't really fit for that???

For the moment I'd go with Elasmucha ... but again - I don't really know bugs ... so just an indication for continued searching

Cheers, Arp.

P.S. Btw. If (?!) indeed Elasmucha it might even maybe, maybe be fieberi (very dark and rough-speckled this one) - over here that's a real find and I've not found many images of that online - so if anyone could confirm that, it would be a treat. What other plants are nearby? (Edit: Forget the plants ... I'm confused ... Any bog/peat nearby? )

Do you have a good detailed shot of the shoulders (distinct thorn next to the head/neck?)

P.P.S. Or ventral shots for that matter

[Dogghound]

Elasmucha grisea

[Toby]

I thought the leg colour might be wrong but I wouldn't have gone for Parent Bug from the photo in Evans & Edmondson - is this like a winter coat?

Parent Bug I photographed last year in same location (sorry, not linked to Gallery):

[Dogghound]

Your making me paranoid now that ive got the wrong Id. . No they are very variable in colour, most shield bugs are.

[Pudding4brains]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Your making me paranoid now that ive got the wrong Id.

Not to worry, I'm sure you're right - shame though - would have been nice to have fieberi-images - but the quest for the ultimate fieberi images continues

Btw. How do you rate these (especially the ones on the greyish board) - ID as fieberi right or wrong ??

Toby raises a good point though with the "winter coat" - I'm fairly sure I've seen that on the closely related Acanthosoma and possibly on Elasmostethus (?), but not yet on Elasmucha (have limited/short experience only with looking at insects - sorry). Are these all "known" to change colour over winter, or is it not a "family trait"

@Toby: Just as reference - any word on better shoulder/ventral images?

Those fieberi sure keep buggin' me
Cheers, Arp

[Toby]

side view:



crop showing pronotum in close up

[tristanba]

it's certainly a Parent Bug, just rather a dark one - many bugs which hibernate as adults become darker overwinter and can still be quite dark on emergence. The dark patch on the scutellum is a good feature for this sp

Parent Bug | Wild About Britain

Cheers, Tristan

[Pudding4brains]

Ooooohwwwww .... sorry folks ... according to faunaeur.org there was no point in even including Elasmucha fieberi in the options in the first place ... seems it's not even listed for Britain. Never mind me babbling gibberish
Sorry,
Arp

[poschiavanus]

Just off the top of my head: I think there were only 3 records for E. ferrugata the last being in the early 20th century at Derby. Certainly Bernard Nau's 2006 list of Heteroptera describes this species as "NO MODERN RECORDS".

poschiavanus