About Piezodorus lituratus (Fabricius, 1794)
Piezodorus lituratus, a species of large shieldbug, reaches a body length of 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in). Adult individuals of this species occur in two distinct main colour forms. Adults that emerge from hibernation in spring to mate are predominantly bright green. The new generation of adults that emerges in late summer bears purplish-red markings on the pronotum and corium. In autumn, these shieldbugs develop a much paler overall colour; they may become darker before entering hibernation, and return to a bright green colour after hibernation ends. The variant Piezodorus lituratus var. alliaceus has a uniform yellow-green colour across the corium. This species can be confused with the related green shieldbug Palomena prasina, but it differs from Palomena prasina in its habitat, and has red antennae. Piezodorus lituratus is distributed across Africa, most of Europe, Northern Asia excluding China, and North America. It lives in any habitat that supports its host plants, and prefers dry, warm habitats, especially those with sandy soil.
