About the Mangrove Jewel Bug
Calliphara nobilis (commonly known as the mangrove jewel bug, mangrove shield bug, or mangrove stink bug) is a species of jewel bug found in Asia. Like all species of jewel bugs, it is phytophagous, feeding on the leaves, fruit and seeds of its host plants. This insect is notable for its multiple defense mechanisms: it is highly mobile and swarms disperse with a loud buzz when disturbed; it is aposematically colored, which serves as a warning to any would-be predators that it is unpalatable; and it possesses a robust chemical defense mechanism: it can secrete an irritating and toxic fluid from a pair of metathoracic scent glands when threatened.
C. nobilis is one of 15 species within the genus Calliphara. The genus is part of the Scutelleridae (shield bug) family, which contains some 80 genera and 500 species worldwide. The scutellerids in turn are part of the larger Pentatomoidea superfamily, (which contains the shield bugs, giant shield bugs, burrower bugs, and stink bugs).
Time-divergence studies reveal that the scutellerids and other types of phytophagous insects first emerged in the Early Cretaceous (142.1–122.8 Ma), shortly after the emergence... Wikipedia →