The Antestia bug

The Antestia Bug (Antestiopsis Orbitalis)

*Lowers self down from web*

Greetings Everypony!! It's me again!! With yet another insect for you!

Today's entry is on the Antestia Bug! This guy is a type of shield bug, part of the family Pentatomidae. He's fairly small, around 1cm, and comes in a variety of different colours, there literally is no typical colour for the Antestia bug, some are green, others are black and Yellow, and because of this, they are very easily confused with other species of Pentatomidae. But the reason I was able to identify him as what he is, is because every Anestia bug, despite all the different colourations, has 2 distinct characteristics. Three white stripes on the head and three orange dots on the prothorax and scutellum (Upper and lower areas of the thorax)

To make it easier, I'll use a diagram, I've marked in orange where the Dots are found, and in white, where the stripes are. These marks are common in all Antestia bugs, sometimes less distinct, but always there. The rest of the colouration can differ immensely.



These bugs are pests to coffee plants, and are a huge problem in East Africa, at the coffee plantations, because they ruin the taste of the coffee, giving it a taste of...get this...potato! This is believed to be caused by the bacteria that feed off injuries and wounds that the insect has. It also feeds off of new shoots, which can stunt the plant's growth. It feeds off of a variety of different plants. Deciduous fruit trees, proteas, citrus fruits, apples, pines, willows and wattles.

Funnily enough, it lays its eggs in a neat cluster shaped like that of a round jar with a closed lid! This is quite an interesting insect, despite it being a pest. This specimen has absolutely beautiful colouration, bright yellow, white and black! I also notice, it looks like it is wearing a mask on it's back.

Now for the pictures so you can see why I'm so interested in this guy.



Unfortunately, you cannot see the three white stripes on the head, as they are not that distinct, but you can quite clearly see the three orange dots.



See what I mean about the mask on it's back though?



Overall, a beautiful insect!

I hope you found this blog post interesting! I really REALLY enjoy posting them! if you have any questions, or, even requests! You can post them in the comments, and I'll do my best to satisfy them.

As for me! Simon Out! *climbs back into his web*