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Rainbow Shield Bug

Calidea dregii

Photo by C.Sydes
Published on Project Noah
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-23.5324, 27.0967

Field Notes

Description:

this brilliantly coloured shield bug is about 14mm long, the green / blue of the back has a metallic, iridescent sheen which changed the hue with changing direction to the light, some individuals have more iridescent yellow around the big dark spots on their back than the bugs photographed here.

Habitat:

cattle ranch in semi-arid bushveld region. The bugs were quite numerous in a weedy patch of Phyllanthus in an open area between bushes and by a track

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (8)
injica
Thank you for this detailed information :)
C.Sydes
these bugs have a pretty widespread distribution and can sometimes be a pest of cotton crops; they're are also reported to breed on a variety of other crops such as sunflower, tobacco and sorghum. I've personally only seen them twice in the last 20 years and each time concentrated on a limited area feeding on wild species from the family Euphorbiaceae. They feed on the young seeds which they pierce with with there mouth parts and this causes distortion of seed heads and loss of seeds from the plants
injica
Wow wow I think this may be my favorite bug, is it really that often there? I mean, can see on the last photo that there are plenty of them? What are they feeding on?
C.Sydes
thanks Debbie, thanks letermagog, it certainly is a beautiful bug which ever way you look at it.
Ietermagog
From all angles a most beautifully coloured bug. Great series!
Debbie Stewart
Lovely series and an extremely colourful bug. I especially like photo 5

Spotted for Missions

Mission
The Color Red
Mission
The Color Blue

Tags

Photographed
PublishedMarch 24, 2013

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