Bronze Shieldbug Troilus luridus
The Bronze Shieldbug is another greenish shield bug, looking like the Green Shield Bug very much. It's probably often mistaken for one. It does have a beautiful scientific name though. The green colour is not of the same kind of bright green the Green Shield Bug is. The Bronze Shieldbug can best be identified by the striking yellow patches in the antennae. It measures some 10 to 13 mm. It is a predator hunting for caterpillars, beetle larvae etc. It is even cultivated to serve as pest controller in agriculture. The older larvae are beautifully coloured and therefor don't look like the adults very much. Younger larvae are less well marked and much darker. The two bottom pictures are of such a younger larva. The Bronze Shieldbug is a common shieldbug all over Europe, but never seen in very great numbers.
