Alice Springs Fauna •
Alice Springs True Bugs (Heteroptera)Eucalyptus Tip-wilting Bug Ground Shield Bug (Choerocoris paganus) Ippatha australiensis Poecilometis patruelis (Shield Bug) Soapberry Bugs, Leptocoris sp Spilostethus sp Water Scorpion
Poecilometis patruelis, known as the Common Gum Tree Shield Bug and the Eucalypt Shield Bug, are in the family Pentatomidae (a group known as Stink Bugs). Found across Australia, many species from this group look similar.
They have a needle-like mouth part that is used sucking the juices from plants, in particular they are commonly associated with eucalypts on which they feed.
The female Poecilometis patruelis lay their eggs under the loose bar of gum strees. When the nymph emerges from the eggs, they are black and white in colour. Their antennae have alternate pale yellow/white bands. The final adult stage they may appear a lighter brown, before darken in colour.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Hemiptera
- Suborder: Heteroptera
- Infraorder: Pentatomomorpha
- Superfamily: Pentatomoidea
- Family: Pentatomidae
- Subfamily: Pentatominae
- Tribe: Halyini
- Genus: Poecilometis
- Species: Poecilometis patruelis
Footnote & References
- Poecilometis patruelis Stål, 1860, Shield Bug, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/9747568a-90d7-45f8-a850-d9a23f1aa724
- Poecilometis Patruelis and Allies (P. Apicalis / P. Punctiventris) Complex Poecilometis patruelis), iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/1429484-Poecilometis-patruelis
- Common Gum Tree Shield Bug – Poecilometis patruelis (Eumecopus patruelis), Brisbane Insects and Spiders Home Page, https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_stinkbugs/GumTreeBug.htm
Alice Springs True Bugs (Heteroptera)Eucalyptus Tip-wilting Bug Ground Shield Bug (Choerocoris paganus) Ippatha australiensis Poecilometis patruelis (Shield Bug) Soapberry Bugs, Leptocoris sp Spilostethus sp Water Scorpion
Alice Springs InsectsAntlion (Heoclisis fundata) Ants (Formicidae) Bees Beetles Blattodea Butterflies & Moths (Lepidopterans) Diptera Dragonflies Mantodea – Mantises Orthoptera – Orthopteroids True Bugs (Heteroptera) Wasps
Alice Springs FaunaAlice Springs Native Bees Alice Springs Beetles Alice Springs Birds Alice Springs Gastropods (Gastropoda) Alice Springs Insects Alice Springs Marsupials Alice Springs Reptiles Alice Springs Spiders
Alice Springs FloraAlice Springs Flora Index Acacia ligulata Annual Yellowtop Bougainvillea Apple Bush Burdekin Plum Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqa) Cattle Bush Desert Cotton (Aerva javanica) Desert Oak Eremophila Wildberry Feijoa sellowiana Flannel Cudweed Fork-leaf Corkwood Ghost Gum Golden Everlasting Kurrajong Lemon-flowered Gum MacDonnell’s Desert Fuchsia Native Bluebell Native Tomato Needlewood Olive Tree Perennial Yellow Top Rat’s Tail River Red Gum Inland River Red Gum Rosy Dock Round-leaved Mallee Scurvy Grass Silky Eremophila Stemodia viscosa Striped Mintbush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Weeping Bottlebrush White Cedar Yellow Billybutton Yellow-keeled Swainsona Yellow Oleander
Alice SpringsAlice Springs Accommodation Alice Springs Pet Friendly Accommodation Alice Springs Art & Culture Alice Springs Attractions Alice Springs Directory Alice Springs Distance Alice Springs Festival & Events Alice Springs Flora and Fauna Alice Springs Fauna Alice Springs Flora Getting Around Alice Springs Alice Springs Aboriginal Tours Alice Springs Tours Alice Springs Tours – Other