Tortoise Bug

Tortoise Bug

Eurygaster testudinaria

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at London

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

114 Verified sightings at London
125 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Tortoise Bug

Eurygaster testudinaria is a Palearctic shieldbug. It occurs in Europe from the Northern Mediterranean to southern Scandinavia, and East through Central Asia to northern China and Japan. This species is very difficult to differentiate from Eurygaster maura but testudinaria has a slight central depression at the front of the head. Its colour similarly varies.

Eurygaster testudinaria feeds on Poaceae (grasses). Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
2 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
3 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
4 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
6 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
3 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 Amsterdam 🇳🇱 Netherlands
~10%
5 Nizhny Novgorod 🇷🇺 Russia
~10%
6 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
7 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
<5%
8 Hamburg 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
9 Brussels 🇧🇪 Belgium
<5%
10 Seoul 🇰🇷 South Korea
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tortoise Bug in London?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tortoise Bug sighting in London on a given day, based on 114 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 293rd most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tortoise Bug in London?

May to August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tortoise Bug in London on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Tortoise Bug?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tortoise Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is London the best place to see a Tortoise Bug?

Among the best

Of the 15 cities where we can rate Tortoise Bug sightings, London ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Tortoise Bug live in London?

Same order: Hemiptera

The closest relatives of the Tortoise Bug that you can see in London (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Green Shield Bug (about 30%), Trivial Plant Bug (about 30%) and Dock Bug (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Tortoise Bug sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tortoise Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in London (114 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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