Podisus maculiventris

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Paraneoptera
Order	Hemiptera
Suborder	Heteroptera
Infraorder	Pentatomomorpha
Superfamily	Pentatomoidea
Family	Pentatomidae
Subfamily	Asopinae
Genus	Podisus

Scientific Name

Common Name

spined soldier bug

Description

True bugs exhibit gradual metamorphosis. They grow from an egg through several juvenile stages to a winged adult without a pupal stage. The juvenile stages are called nymphs. Both nymphs and adults are predators who consume prey using their piercing sucking mouthparts, which form a straw-like beak.

Distinctive Features

Adults are shield-shaped and brown in color. They have a dark spot visible on the membranous tips of the wings. They also have ""pointy shoulders"" or points on the edges of pronotum.

Life Cycle

Adult females lay clusters of 15-70 barrel-shaped eggs. The eggs hatch after 5-9 days into brightly colored predatory nymphs. Nymphs pass through five instars in approximately 30-60 days. There are 2-3 generations per year.

Prey

Caterpillars, beetle larvae, and other soft bodied pests.

Habitat

Adults and nymphs can be found foraging on plants.

Floral Resources

Not known to use pollen or nectar as a food source.

Distribution

Common throughout U.S.

Origin

Native.

Occurrence

Common.

Size

9-11 mm.

Color

Brown.

As a Biological Control

The spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris, is a native species of stink bug that is predatory on many types of caterpillars and leaf beetle larvae. Experimental work with the species is limited, although naturally occurring populations have often been reported as useful biological control agents.

Commercial Suppliers

Company	State	Country
ARBICO Organics	AZ	USA
The Bug Factory, Ltd.	BC	Canada
Great Lakes IPM, Inc.	MI	USA
The Green Spot Ltd.	CA	USA
IPM_Laboratories, Inc.	NY	USA
Nature Insect Control (NIC)	ON	Canada
Park Seed Co.	SC	USA
Planet Natural	MT	USA
Plant Products Co. Ltd.	OH	USA
Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc.	CA	USA
Tip Top Bio-Control	CA	USA
Biobest Biological Systems	ON	Canada