The Japanese common plataspid stinkbug is a small, round, yellowish-brown bug about 0.2 in (5 mm) long that lives in Japan and Korea and feeds on kudzu, soybeans, and other legumes. The "kudzu bug" that arrived in Georgia in 2009 is usually listed in the U.S. as the closely related Megacopta cribraria; it likely descends from Kyushu stock of this bug, and some scientists treat the two as one species. When disturbed, it releases a foul-smelling liquid.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Nearly round and about 0.2 in (5–5.5 mm) long, dark yellowish brown with dense black pits. are flat, green, and hairy.
Look-alikes
The two look nearly identical, and photos cannot separate them. Bugs found in the U.S. are recorded under this name.
Why they get mixed upThey are very close relatives, and some scientists treat them as one species.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Kudzu patches
- Soybean fields
- Forest edges
- Range
- Native to Japan and the Korean Peninsula. In the U.S., the kudzu bug (usually listed as Megacopta cribraria) was first noticed in northeastern Georgia in 2009 and has since spread across the Southeast, with later reports from Maryland, Mississippi, and Texas.
Behavior
- Diet
- Sucks sap from the stems and leaf stalks of legumes such as kudzu, soybean, and adzuki bean. It sometimes gathers on rice heads in Japan.
- Overwintering
- In Japan, adults spend the winter in small groups in shallow soil or under stones. In October and November they fly off to find shelter and can end up inside houses or on laundry.
Life cycle
- Larva
- Mothers leave small capsules of gut bacteria beside their eggs. Newly hatched nymphs eat them to pick up the bacteria, which supply nutrients missing from plant sap.
- Caterpillar food plants
- Mainly legumes such as kudzu, soybean, and adzuki bean; wisteria is also used. In Japan, eggs are laid in clusters from April to June.
Cautions
- Cautions
- When disturbed it releases a foul-smelling liquid. Reports on the closely related U.S. kudzu bug say the liquid can occasionally irritate bare skin.
Name and classification
- About the name
- In Japan and Korea this bug is called Megacopta punctatissima, while the kudzu bug in the U.S. is usually reported as Megacopta cribraria. Genetic work suggests the U.S. bugs likely came from Kyushu, Japan, and found the two names hard to separate, so some scientists treat them as one species.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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