Rhacognathus punctatus
species of insect
Rhacognathus punctatus, the heather bug, is a species of stink bugs (family Pentatomidae).
Description
Rhacognathus punctatus can reach a length of 7–9 millimetres (0.28–0.35 in). This predatory stink bug has a mottled metallic bronze-brown shieldbug, extended shoulders, a pale longitudinal line on the pronotum and dark brown legs with a whitish band on the tibia. Females lay their eggs in May and June, while the adults are present throughout the year. Adults of these bugs prey on the larvae of leaf beetles and Chrysomelidae species, especially on the larvae of Lochmaea caprea and Lochmaea suturalis.
Distribution
This species is present in most of Europe.
Habitat
This stink bug prefers the edges of heaths, moors and lowland mires.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Rhacognathus punctatus” is species of insect. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Rhacognathus, punctatus and species, not as a finished interpretation.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rhacognathus punctatus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.