Graphosoma lineatum

Taxonomy

Some authors consider G. lineatum and G. italicum as two different species, others treat them as subspecies or geographic color forms: G. lineatum, with orange legs, is present in the south of Italy, in Sardinia, in North Africa and in the Near East while G. italicum, blacklegged, is distributed more towards the center and north of Europe (Ribes et al., 2008; Dusoulier and Lupoli, 2006).

Subspecies

Description

Graphosoma lineatum can reach a length of 8–12 millimetres (0.31–0.47 in). The body is almost round, with a large shield. The basic color of the upperside of the body is bright red, with wide black longitudinal stripes. The pronotum has six black bands. The antennae are black. Also the sides of the abdominal segments (connexivum) are red with many small black spots. The legs may be black or red, depending on the subspecies.

The bold red and black warning colours (aposematism) indicate that the insects are foul-tasting, protecting them from predators. The nymphs do not have the red-black stripe pattern but they are mostly brownish or grayish.

These shield bugs are frequently found on the umbels of Apiaceae (Heracleum, Anthriscus, Foeniculum, etc.) and often on the flowers of the Greater Pignut, Bunium bulbocastanum.

Similar species

Distribution

G. lineatum italicum is common across most of Europe, while G. lineatum lineatum can be found in North Africa, southern France, Corsica, Portugal, Spain, southern Italy, Sardinia and in the Near East.

Habitat

G. lineatum is an insect of warm and sunny areas. It prefers warm slopes and meadows located on south-facing slopes.