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Unable to fetch location details at this time.Wildlife Spotting
3.11864, 26.8914
Field Notes
Description:
These appear to be to nymphs of one member of Pentatomoidea superfamily, of Heteroptera order. They are between 3mm and 1cm in size, photographed here in few instars all at the same time, distinctive bright coloration with red, black, and iridescent blue-green patterns.
Habitat:
They were found in a large numbers in a cultivated garden of a local monastery, on some ornemental plants. The monastery is at the outskirts of a village or small town in the middle of Congo tropical forest
Notes:
I'm finally getting really close to IDing these beauties - it took me only 13 years.... At the moment, I'm thinking about two options - in appearance, these look like the nymphs of Harlequin bug, all vividly coloured, but their presence in Congo forest is not expected - hibiscus harlequin bug or cotton harlequin bug (Tectocoris diophthalmus - https://www.facebook.com/MagnificenceMagnified/posts/pfbid02J3mAUZ3CRo9…) normally occurs in Australia and South-East Asia. One other candidate is Painted Bug (Bagrada hilaris https://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hemipt/Bagrada.htm) native to Africa, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The nymph of Bagrada bug has a similar coloration, with red and black markings, though less bright and less irridescent. It is often found in agricultural settings, feeding on cruciferous plants, but it could also be present in forested or gardened areas.
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