Vernal Shield Bug (lat. Peribalus strictus)

Peribalus strictus capitatus Jakovlev, 1889 Peribalus strictus strictus (Fabricius, 1803) Peribalus strictus vernalis (Wolff, 1804)

This species is widespread in Europe (with the exception of the north of the British Isles and Scandinavia), across Siberia and Central Asia up to northern China and Japan. These shieldbugs prefer dry to moderately moist, warm areas. They usually occur in clearings and in rather damp environments.

Peribalus strictus can reach a length of 9.5–11 millimetres (0.37–0.43 in). These quite variable shieldbugs have a greenish-brown coloration and a dense dark punctuation on the head, elytrae, pronotum and scutellum. The margins of the pronotum are yellowish and quite concave and the scutellum has a pale yellowish tip. The connexivum is distinctly banded pale brown and black. The antennae are orange yellow, but the final two segments are black. In spring and summer the

coloration is usually lighter than in autumn. Peribalus vernalis was one time considered a separate species, nowadays it is considered a subspecies (Peribalus strictus vernalis). This subspecies shows a black ring on articles IV and V of the antennae, the tip of the scutellum is not punctuated and the femora are covered with small black dots.

These stink bugs live on various herbs, shrubs and deciduous trees. They are polyphagous. The nymphs especially feed on the ripe fruits and seeds of herbaceous plants, mainly Asteraceae and Fabaceae species. The adults can be found in the spring and fall sucking on flowering and fruit-bearing shrubs and trees, frequently feeding on flowers of Apiaceae and Scrophulariaceae, such as mullein (Verbascum species). Adults can be found all year and hibernation takes place as imago. The

following year, the adult new generation occur from the end of July.

Ekkehard Wachmann, Albert Melber, Jürgen Deckert: Wanzen. Band 4: Pentatomomorpha II: Pentatomoidea: Cydnidae, Thyreocoridae, Plataspidae, Acanthosomatidae, Scutelleridae, Pentatomidae. Goecke & Evers, Keltern 2008, ISBN 978-3-937783-36-9.