The Good Parent - _TNY_5461
When you see the name parent bug (Elasmucha grisea), it seems a little odd - insects typically don't do a lot of parenting. Well this one does.
The female stays with the eggs and defend them against predators, amognst other things in her arsenal are the foul-smelling liquid they can spray and which obviously is the reason behind shield bugs also being known as stink bugs.
The same day that I found this one, I also saw some of a closely related species called Elasmucha fieberi - a photo of a couple of those here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53157346493/
The Good Parent - _TNY_5461
When you see the name parent bug (Elasmucha grisea), it seems a little odd - insects typically don't do a lot of parenting. Well this one does.
The female stays with the eggs and defend them against predators, amognst other things in her arsenal are the foul-smelling liquid they can spray and which obviously is the reason behind shield bugs also being known as stink bugs.
The same day that I found this one, I also saw some of a closely related species called Elasmucha fieberi - a photo of a couple of those here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53157346493/