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Coleotichus sp
Bright red bug nymphs with triangle patch on abdomen. They become a green Jewel bug! I've included one adult that I spotted earlier. Pic #6 is one that grew from these (taken 11 Feb 2012) but looks a little different in pattern and color.
Clustered on stem of acacia and hiding effectively in the seed pods.
see the nymphs of a similar sp of Coleotichus here http://hear.smugmug.com/Photographers/HL...
18 Comments
Thanks Mayra and Gilma
Lovely!! Love pictures #3 and #4, they were so pretty then! Thank you for following this lovely creatures development and sharing, I really like informative series like yours.
Brilliant capture!!
There were many dozens of these bug nymphs over two acacia trees. They have become adults now (pic # 6) and they have ALL disappeared. There are none left. They have most likely flown away!
It's brown! :)
Finally, pic#6 shows the adult bug, the green shield backed bug.
Or at least on the first pic
I thought it was red eyed tree frogs all stacked up...
Replaced pic #4 the penultimate nymph =)
Great story - can't wait for the final.
Added pic#2 the seed pod that they mimic
Added pic #4 the penultimate nymph =)
I will expect the adult jewel bugs to emerge next week to confirm this series.
I was surprised to observe how hard they are to spot when on the seed pods.
the latest ones are great - hard to believe they are the same
I've added two pics of nymphs hiding among seed pods to camouflage.
I've found the correct ID and updated the link:)
http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/mbcn/kyf2...
looks like a spined soldier bug. A predatory one.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/surenderdal...
Very cool! Love their colors!