Size
Adult males average about 12 mm in length; females average about 13 mm.
U. of Florida site does not give maximum sizes, so size is likely not a good way to distinguish this one from Acrosternum.
Identification
White to yellow barrel-shaped eggs are laid in clusters attached to the undersides of leaves.
Nymphs undergo a remarkable change in coloration: newborn nymphs are light yellowish with red eyes and transparent legs and antennae; they stay clustered near the eggs and do not feed. The second instar has black head, legs, and antennae; the thorax is also black, with a yellow spot on each outer side. The abdomen is dark red to black with numerous white spots. The third and fourth instars differ from the second in size and an overall greenish color becoming apparent (compare an
example image). Wing pads mark the arrival at the
fifth instar. The abdomen is yellowish green with red spots on the median line. The Southern Green Stink Bug usually spends eight days as a fifth instar before the final molt to an adult." - University of Florida, revised
University of Arkansas (in pdf document in Internet References section below) says Nezara adults can be distinguished from Acrosternum by red-banded (not black-banded) antennae and the shape of a ventral spine between the hind legs (see document for illustration).
Range
Reported from mostly southern and south-eastern states: Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, California, Texas, and Hawaii
Food
Polyphagous, attacking a wide variety of crop plants; especially damaging to new shoots and fruits, including those of soybeans, peas, and cotton.
Life Cycle
Life cycle takes about 70 days. There may be four generations per year in warm climates. Overwinters as an adult.
See Also
Adults of this species are very hard to distinguish from
Acrosternum hilare. They are distinguished by the shape of the scent glands on the underside: short and fat in
N. viridula; long and curved in
Acrosternum hilare (see
U. of Florida site). Nymphs, however, have distinctive patterns.
