HEMIPTERA > HETEROPTERA > PENTATOMORPHA > PENTATOMOIDEA > Pentatomidae

Although the generally accepted common name for Pentatoma rufipes is the Red-legged Shieldbug, it is also quite widely known as the Forest Shieldbug or simply the Forest Bug.

Adults can be quite variable in terms of the depth of colour with some individuals looking rather drab, whilst others appear far more striking. Although I suspect that this variation is partly due to the light, the overall colour tends to vary from a greyish-brown through to rich dark brown. Similarly with the colour of the legs that can be more yellow than red, and the intensity of the colour of both the markings on the connexivum and the pale tip of the scutellum that can range from cream to bright yellow.

Darker specimens particularly, look superficially similar to the Spiked Shieldbug [Picromerus bidens] - featured on the general 'family account' page - except that that species has distinctive sharp projections on the front corners of the pronotum rather than the slightly hooked shape seen here. A further distinguishing feature is that the end of the scutellum is more rounded in Picromerus bidens and is only coloured around the extreme edge.

I believe that Pentatoma rufipes is the most common and widespread of all the typical shieldbug species. It can be found in a variety of habitats right across England and Wales, and in large parts of Scotland. The species may overwinter as eggs or young nymphs, with new generation adults emerging and becoming active from July onwards and typically surviving through to late autumn. Occasionally, adults may be found in early spring, suggesting that a secondary breeding cycle may be possible.

The nymphs become slightly more elongate as they develop. The early instar featured below has a more rounded shape to my eyes than the other two individuals that I suspect are at the mid or 3rd instar stage of their life cycle. The wings usually don't start showing until the final stage.  

The Pentatomidae 'family account' is linked to the Bishop's Mitre, Woundwort, Gorse, Brassica, and Spiked Shieldbug thumbnail images on the Hemiptera home page.