Tessaratomid bugs (TESSARATOMIDAE)

The Tessaratomidae is a pentatomoid family of 49 genera and about 235 species worldwide, represented in Australia by 12 genera and 18 species.

Bronze Orange Bugs Musgraveia sulciventris are large, slow moving bugs with thick, fat bodies, small heads and orange antennae. They are often found on domestic citrus which they feed on by piercing the new shoots and sucking the sap.

Bronze orange bugs suck the sap from trees, which causes the flowers and fruit to fall.

This photo shows quite pretty colours when brought out by a flash, taken in a suburban garden in The Gap Brisbane.

The Bronze Orange Bug lays its eggs underneath the leaves of host plants. When the young hatch out they are green and oval-shaped to better hide from predators.

After 2-3 days they will moult (shed their outer skin) and become orange in colour, after another moulting they become bright red before their final moulting into adults.

The bug on the left is at the 4th stage, the bug on the right is about twice to three times the size (In real life) and is at the 5th stage. The bugs through their stages of metamorphis are called instars.

Lychee Stink Bug Lyramorpha rosea is arboreal, diurnal, leaf eater, sap-feeder, found both on the ground, on trees and flying. Host plants include Alphitonia excelsa, Atalaya virens, Flindersia collina and Synoum glandulosum.

This Rhoecus australasiae bug feeds on plants in the genus Melicope. Melicope micrococca is a large tree with trifoliolate leaves native to the Enoggera catchment. 

Stilida indecora feeds on plants of the family Sapindaceae, such as Alectryon and Cupaniopsis. These are hardy, mostly drought tolerant plants many of which are locally native in the Enoggera catchment.

Also known to feed on citrus species Rutaceae. Stilida indecora like all Tessaratomidae have large bodies and small heads. They probably can secrete foul smelling liquid (stink). Generally slow moving, but can fly.

This non-flying juvenile was found in large numbers on the ripening fruit of Blood Vine Austrosteenisia blackii on Saturday 17 December 2007 at Yoorala Street The Gap. The Australian Faunal Directory lists it as arboreal, diurnal, folivore, sap-feeder, terrestrial, volant, herbivore, host Austrosteenisia blackii.