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Parent / Shield Bug

Elasmucha grisea

Description:

Length 7-9 mm. A medium-sized red/brown shieldbug - this one has a different colouration This species overwinters as an adult, emerging and mating in the spring. The smaller male dies soon after, but the female survives for some time, brooding the eggs and young larvae, which feed on Birch and Alder. New adults may be found from August onwards.

Habitat:

Common and widespread across Britain and Ireland, this was spotted on a Blackberry bush in Horseheath, Cambridge UK. It then flew onto my hand

Notes:

"The colouring is indeed bizarre. It reminds me of the iridovirus that can affect woodlice and other arthropoods... but I've not come across the same thing affecting bugs. It may just be completely aberrant, but normally there's a reason for it..." Joseph Botting

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2 Comments

Paul Davis
Paul Davis 5 years ago

I agree with tmvdh --Parent Bug.

tmvdh
tmvdh 5 years ago

For some technical reason it's not possible to suggest an ID. Thus, I am doing it via a comment:
It looks like a specimen of the Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea - with a deviant coloration.

Stephen Wain
Spotted by
Stephen Wain

South Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom

Spotted on Sep 19, 2018
Submitted on Sep 20, 2018

Spotted for Mission

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