Stagonomus venustissimus, common name woundwort shieldbug, is a species of shieldbug belonging to the family Pentatomidae, subfamily Pentatominae.
Scientific name
The species was first named by Fabricius as Cimex melanocephalus.[1] However this name had already been used by Linnaeus for the mirid bug now known as Phylus melanocephalus - at the time, the genus Cimex encompassed the entirety of the Heteroptera.
The replacement name Eysarcoris fabricii given by Kirkaldy in 1904 was used for many years, but Rider (1998)[2] pointed out the seniority of the name venustissimus, given by Schrank in 1776 (Schönste Wanze, most beautiful bug).[3]
This species has been recently transferred to the genus Stagonomus, so the correct name is Stagonomus venustissimus (Schrank, 1776).[4]
Distribution
This species can be found in most of Europe.[5][6]
Description
Stagonomus venustissimus can reach a length of 5–7 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in). These small bugs have a greenish-grey body. The head and the pronotum are copper coloured. They have a bronze-purple triangular stain at the base of the scutellum. The connexivum has black and white markings. The legs are whitish with black spots[7]
Biology
Stagonomus venustissimus is a univoltine species. The larvae are visible from late June to October, while the new generation of adults appear from August through the following July.[8]
^Roca-Cusachs M. & Jung S. 2019. Redefining Stagonomus Gorski based on morphological and molecular data (Pentatomidae: Eysarcorini). Zootaxa 4658(2): 368-374
^D. A. Rider (2006). "Pentatomidae". In Aukema B, Rieger C (eds.). Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region, vol. 5: Pentatomomorpha II. Amsterdam: Netherlands Entomological Society. ISBN9789071912283.
