Three shieldbug nymphs

13 Wednesday Aug 2025

Tags

Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale, British shieldbugs, Bronze shieldbug, Bronze shieldbug nymph, Cyphostethus tristriatus, Hawthorn shieldbug, Juniper shieldbug, shieldbug, shieldbug nymphs, Troilus luridus

I’ve found some nice nymphs of our various shieldbug species during recent walks so thought I’d share a few of them. The nymphs almost always look quite different to the adults of the same species; if you’re unsure which shieldbug or which stage (instar) of nymph you’ve found, the British Bugs website has a page full of excellent drawings showing the various instars of all the British shieldbug species.

As this was only my fourth ever sighting of this species, I was particularly pleased to spot this Bronze shieldbug nymph (Troilus luridus), though it would have been difficult to miss as its metallic colours sparkled in the sunshine.

To illustrate how much these bugs change as they grow, I’ve included two photos of Hawthorn shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale), the top image shows early instar nymphs and below that is a mid instar nymph.

It was just a couple of months ago that I saw my first Juniper shieldbug (Cyphostethus tristriatus) and I wrote then (Juniper shieldbug, 3 June) that I was intending to return to the site to look for more, adults and nymphs. I did, and I have; this is one of two nymphs I found recently, a bug that’s just a stunning as the adult, in my humble opinion.

Three little shieldbugs

01 Tuesday Aug 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Tags

British shieldbugs, Bronze shieldbug, Bronze shieldbug mid instar, Eurygaster testudinaria, Pentatoma rufipes, Red-legged shieldbug, shieldbug, Tortoise shieldbug, Tortoise shieldbug final instar, Troilus luridus

When the sun’s shining (which, admittedly, hasn’t been very often in the last couple of weeks), the patches of bramble and low scrub seem to be full of shieldbugs of various sizes and stages, basking in the welcome warmth. Two I’ve seen recently have been new to me:

230801 bronze mid instar

Although I’ve seen Bronze shieldbugs (Troilus luridus) before, I’ve not seen this particular variation, which is a mid instar, halfway between egg and adult.

230801 Eurygaster testudinaria tortoise final instar

You might remember the lesson I learnt back in July 2022 (Blackberries, yum!) to always check a Blackberry before putting it in my mouth. Well, that held true again recently: I was about to pluck this luscious-looking berry when I noticed its occupant. This little critter is the final instar of the Tortoise shieldbug (Eurygaster testudinaria), a new shieldbug for me.

230801 red-legged shieldbug

And this last bug is not new at all but I liked the way it was posing, and the fact that I was able to get some shots of the lovely speckling on its belly. This is an adult Red-legged shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes).