Instar Stages (Black) - _TNY_6006
Shield bugs, like this green shield bug (Palomena prasina) don't have a single metamorphosis like beetles who go from being a larvae and then pupating and emerging as an adult beetle.
Instead, they have five instar stages where they moult several times and gradually become more and more like the final adult version. This one is the fifth and final stage so after the next moult it will be an adult - here we can see the early stages of wings on its back, but it still is unable to fly unlike the adult is.
But there is another twist to identifying these. They come in two colour variants so some are like this in green and black and some don't have the black parts and is just green.
I have no idea why yet, but you can find both variants in the same places - which is exactly what I did as here is one of the green ones shot right before this one: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53639718662/
Instar Stages (Black) - _TNY_6006
Shield bugs, like this green shield bug (Palomena prasina) don't have a single metamorphosis like beetles who go from being a larvae and then pupating and emerging as an adult beetle.
Instead, they have five instar stages where they moult several times and gradually become more and more like the final adult version. This one is the fifth and final stage so after the next moult it will be an adult - here we can see the early stages of wings on its back, but it still is unable to fly unlike the adult is.
But there is another twist to identifying these. They come in two colour variants so some are like this in green and black and some don't have the black parts and is just green.
I have no idea why yet, but you can find both variants in the same places - which is exactly what I did as here is one of the green ones shot right before this one: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53639718662/