This insect has a broad shield-shaped body and is approximately 1/2 inch in length. It is brown overall and the head is relatively small compared to the large size of the shield of the thorax. The “shoulders” on the shield are sometimes rounded and sometimes pointed (Photo A) and rose-colored. The 5-segmented antennae are usually brown at the base and black on the 4th and 5th segments but not always (see photo B). The wings are hard at the base and membraneous at the tips, and overlap when folded over the back. Some of these photos were identified by volunteer experts at the BugGuide website.
These insects are common throughout the summer and fall in Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods.
The adults overwinter in leaf litter. In spring, the female finds an appropriate host plant and deposits her mass of barrel-shaped eggs on the underside of leaves. The nymphs go through 5 instars. They are similar to adults except they are smaller and wingless. Stink bugs have piercing and sucking mouthparts for extracting plant juices. Both adults and nymphs have stink glands that produce a foul odor as a defense mechanism. This stink bug can be quite variable in appearance. There are about 20 species in the genus Euschistus.
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