Stats

Lifespan: A few months
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical savanna
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

The southern green stink bug is a bright apple-green shield-shaped insect found on every continent except Antarctica. When threatened, it releases a pungent chemical from glands on its thorax — a smell strong enough to linger for hours.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Pentatomidae
Genus: Nezara
Species: Nezara viridula