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Alpine shield bug
Hypsithocus hudsonae
Hypsithocus hudsonae, sometimes called the alpine shield bug or black alpine shield bug, is a species of flightless shield bug endemic to New Zealand. Few specimens have ever been collected and these have come from a relatively narrow geographical range. The New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies this species as 'At Risk,' with qualifiers 'data poor' and 'range restricted.'
From the article Hypsithocus hudsonae on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
H. hudsonae are dark brown shield bugs, 7–9 mm in length. Their bodies are oval shaped and flattened. Nymphs appear similar to adults except the margins of their bodies are pale brown. It is the only flightless New Zealand shield bug.
What it does
Specimens have only ever been collected from a small number of mountain sites in Central Otago 1200–1700 m above sea level. Their limited range may be explained by a lack of dispersal ability, as adults are flightless. The species is herbivorous, and has been collected from Veronica odora, so may feed on that species. Mating is likely to occur in summer and the species probably only has a single brood each year.
Wikipedia: “Ecology”
In human culture
As with many species of Pentatomidae, H. hudsonae nymphs hatch from eggs and pass through five instars before reaching adulthood.
Wikipedia: “Life history”
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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Every page naming Hypsithocus hudsonae in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 390890.