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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Pentatomomorpha » Pentatomoidea » Stink Bugs (Pentatomidae) » Predatory Stink Bugs (Asopinae) » Picromerus » Picromerus bidens

Species Picromerus bidens

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

Predatory Stink Bug nymph - Picromerus bidens

Spike Bug eating Milkweed Tussock Moth Cat - Picromerus bidens - Picromerus bidens - female

Predatory Stink bug with prey - possibly Picromerus bidens? - Picromerus bidens

Stink (?) bug - brown on stem - Picromerus bidens

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 Asopinae (Predatory Stink Bugs)

Genus Picromerus

Species bidens (Picromerus bidens)

Other Common Names

Spiked Shieldbug (UK)

Explanation of Names

Picromerus bidens (Linnaeus 1758)

Size

11-14 mm(1)

Identification

large laterally-projecting humeral spine; tibiae typically tricolored: brown at the knee, pale in the middle, and reddish apically

Range

native to the Palaearctic (across n Eurasia), adventive in our area: ne NA (NS-PA to ON-MI)(2)

Food

caterpillars, esp. webworms and tent caterpillars(3)

Life Cycle

gregarious during first two instars and phytophagous, but gradually disperses in later instars and becomes predacious(1)

Remarks

earliest NA record: ME 1932(1)

potentially useful predator of certain leaf-feeding insects (e.g., pine sawfly larvae)(4)

Internet References

Species page(5)

Works Cited

1.	The Pentatomoidea (Hemiptera) of Northeastern North America J.E. McPherson. 1982. Southern Illinois University Press.

2.	First record of the Palearctic predatory stink bug, Picromerus bidens (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae), in Michigan Swanson D.R., Keller O., Rowley J.D. 2013. Great Lakes Entomol. 46: 231-234.

3.	Insects: Their Natural History And Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America Stephen A. Marshall. 2006. Firefly Books Ltd.

4.	Alien true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) in Canada: composition and adaptations Scudder G.G.E., Foottit R.G. 2006. Can. Entomol. 138: 24-51.

5.	Bantock T., Botting J. (2010‒) British Bugs, an online identification guide to UK Hemiptera

Contributed by tom murray on 24 December, 2005 - 4:05pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 19 June, 2019 - 3:05pm

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