Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Bagrada hilaris - Bagrada Bug

Bagrada hilaris Mating Bagrada Bugs - Bagrada hilaris - male - female Unknown 'Bug' - Bagrada hilaris Bagrada Bug - Bagrada hilaris - male Pentatomidae - Stink Bug? - Bagrada hilaris stink bugs - Bagrada hilaris Male, Bagrada hilaris - Bagrada hilaris - male Bagrada Bug - Bagrada hilaris - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Infraorder Pentatomomorpha
Superfamily Pentatomoidea
Family Pentatomidae (Stink Bugs)
Subfamily Pentatominae
Tribe Strachiini
Genus Bagrada
Species hilaris (Bagrada Bug)
Other Common Names
Painted Stink Bug
Explanation of Names
Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister 1835)
hilaris 'gay, cheerful'
Size
5‒7 mm(1)
Identification
distinctive among NA Pentatomidae
Range
native to s. & e.Africa, adventive elsewhere, incl. the Americas, the Mediterranean, S.Asia(1); in our area, sw.US (CA to CO‒TX), FL [interceptions, may not be established](2)
Food
hosts: members of the mustard, nightshade, mallow, legume, sunflower and grain families. May damage cruciferous crops, infests a various other crops and weeds (Palumbo & Natwick 2010)(1)
Life Cycle
Eggs laid in clusters on leaves or soil; four nymphal instars(1); polyvoltine in s.CA
Remarks
May aggregate on non-hosts in the fall when bug populations are high and food is scarce.
See Also
Bagrada hilaris vs Murgantia histrionica
Internet References
Works Cited
1.California plant pest & disease report, Vol. 25 (Jan 2008 through Dec 2009)
Gaimari S., O’Donnell M., eds. 2011. California Department of Food & Agriculture, Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch. 108 pp.
2.A distributional synopsis of the Pentatomidae (Heteroptera) north of Mexico, including new state and provincial records
Rider, D.A. and Swanson, D.R. 2021. Zootaxa, 5015(1), 1–69.
3.University of Florida: Featured Creatures