Beautiful Pentatomid - Stiretrus anchorago

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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) » Stiretrus » Anchor Stink Bug (Stiretrus anchorago)

Photo#82218

Copyright © 2006 Hannah Nendick-Mason

Beautiful Pentatomid - Stiretrus anchorago

Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, USA
October 4, 2006
Size: 10 mm

I found this in my house, so no hint on its preferred food. I couldn't find a match in the guide, although the more I photographed it the more I realized in size and profile it is extremely like Stiretrus anchorago. I read on the UF site that there are variations of that sp. that are totally blue or green - maybe this is one? I tried to confirm the hypothesis by ofering it a cloudless sulphur larva to eat, but it didn't bite - in fact the only thing that stimulated it to stick out its feeding tube was a flower of this coral vine, which I chose just for the nice contrast as a background.

Images of this individual: tag all

Beautiful Pentatomid - Stiretrus anchorago

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Contributed by Hannah Nendick-Mason on 8 October, 2006 - 8:38pm
Last updated 10 October, 2006 - 11:57am

Another feature to distinguish this one from Zicrona:

Profemora with strong tooth (without tooth in Zicrona).

… Boris Büche, 11 April, 2007 - 10:02am

Moved to Stiretrus anchorago

I asked Dr David Rider of North Dakota State University to comment on this one, and here is what he wrote:

"It is a specimen of Stiretrus anchorago. There are two species of Zicrona that do occur in North America, but one of them (americana) is western in distribution, and the other (caerulea) occurs only in the northeastern states."

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 10 October, 2006 - 11:59am

Hannah, can you look at the images currently posted

under Zicrona and see what you think of the identifications based upon what you learned from Dr Rider? Thanks, we'll check there for your comments.

… john and jane balaban, 25 July, 2007 - 5:20pm

Zicrona caerulea

I was looking for this one and i founnd it on aItalian web site.
http://www.lucianabartolini.net/indice_alfabetico.htm , at least it looks like a very good match.

… Philip Chaon, 9 October, 2006 - 9:30pm

That picture does look close

here's a link directly to it - image - for others to check. Maybe not so punctate as mine, though? I'll have to check if that sp. is listed for FL.

I found another image of Zircona caerulea here that does have the punctate shell - the front legs don't seem as well-developed as those of my specimen, though. If you compare the Stiretrus (below) the legs match - strong and spined - seems to me that incicates a predator, at any rate, and quite possibly the same species.

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 10 October, 2006 - 6:33am

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