Pentatomidae
| Vernacular names | |
|---|---|
| • Deutsch: | Schildwanzen Baumwanzen |
| • English: | stink bugs |
| • Español: | pentatómidos |
| • Français: | pentatomidés |
Pentatomidae - (stink bugs)
This family of mainly plant-sucking insects contains around 6,000 species, including several serious agricultural pests. Many feed on vegetables and ornamentals, but some are very polyphagous and widespread, e.g. the southern green stink bug. A small group of Pentatomidae is predacious. They are good fliers and can cover 5 or more km in one day. When attacked they secrete a defensive chemical to repel natural enemies.
The adults are medium-sized insects, usually between 10 and 20 mm long. They have a compact shield-like body with a very large scutellum which typically covers a large part of the abdomen. The name Pentatomidae refers to the 5-segmented antennae.
Note:
This page refers to crop pests only, for other groups of Pentatomidae see:
For more details see the respective page in Wikipedia.
The following genera and individual species are currently entered under Pentatomidae:
