Stats

Lifespan

Annual

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Colony

Biome

Subtropical forest

Range

East Asia

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

The Kudzu Bug, or Megacopta cribraria, is a shield bug that lives in the forests and fields of India and China. It is attracted to white surfaces, and when threatened, emits a foul-smelling pheromone that causes burning sensations and red welts on bare skin.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hemiptera

Family

Plataspidae

Genus

Megacopta

Species

Megacopta cribraria