Parent bug

Description

Parent bugs belong to the family Acanthosomatidae (Hemiptera) - so-called shield bugs or stink bugs. and include the genus Elasmucha. Parent bugs possess methatoracic and abdominal glands, which discharge a foul smelling secretion. This secretion is used to deter potential enemies and is sometimes released when the bug is disturbed.

Life cycle

Like most shield bugs, parent bugs suck plant sap and require symbiotic bacteria for their digestion. They obtain symbionts at an early age: the mother covers her eggs with bacteria so that the larvae ingest them as they feed on the egg case. Both adults and larvae readily feed on developing seeds, and breeding individuals can be observed on host plants with many young catkins. However, they seem to avoid trees with a high predation risk.

Parental care

The common name comes from the relatively rare insect behaviour of prolonged caring for eggs and juveniles, exhibited by females of this species. Predators, such as bugs, beetles, earwigs and ants, can eliminate all the offspring of the parent bug if there is no maternal care. The repertoire of female defensive behaviours includes wing fanning, body jerking, tilting towards the enemy and, finally, releasing of 'nasty’ odours from the scent glands,