Shield bug

Shield bugs are the Acanthosomatidae, a family of Hemiptera. There are 55 genera, with about 200 species. It is one of the least varied families of bugs.^[1][2] The number of species is quite low for beetles, and it is not known why this is so. Individually they are fairly common.

Shield bug Temporal range: Early Jurassic–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Acanthosomatidae - relative sizes
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Suborder:	Heteroptera
Infraorder:	Pentatomomorpha
Superfamily:	Pentatomoidea Leach 1815

Shield bugs, like almost all bugs, live by sucking the sap of plants, usually flowering plants. They have a "layered" defence system. From a distance they are difficult to see because they are camouflaged. Then, they have a tough armoured back. Lastly, if touched, they give off revolting scents, rather like stink bugs (which are a related group).