Black Stink Bug

Black Stink Bug

Proxys punctulatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Miami

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

13 Verified sightings at Miami
12 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black Stink Bug

Proxys punctulatus, the black stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, and North America. The adult of P. punctulatus is 11-13 mm long and has a mostly black body with a yellow spot at the apex of the scutellum. There are six legs which are black and cream in colour. The head as well as the humeral angles of the pronotum are pointed.

The life cycle of this species has been studied in Union County, Illinois. Adults overwinter in leaf litter near their host plants. They become active in June and reproduce. Eggs are usually laid singly. These eggs hatch into nymphs which go through five instars. A laboratory experiment, rearing P. punctulatus on Tradescantia subaspera under constant temperature and light, found that on average egg incubation takes 9.04 days while the five nymphal instars take 5.06, 7.15, 7.56, 9.32, and 15.93 days.

Proxys punctulatus is omnivorous, feeding on both plant juices and on insect larvae. It has been found on blackberry, spiderwort, cotton, soybean and citrus plants. Feeding results in disfigured leaves and discolored areas on stems, but this... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~10%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
2 Orlando 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black Stink Bug in Miami?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Stink Bug sighting in Miami on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 499th most-seen of the 826 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black Stink Bug in Miami?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Stink Bug in Miami on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Black Stink Bug?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Stink Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Miami the best place to see a Black Stink Bug?

8th of 9

Of the 9 cities where we can rate Black Stink Bug sightings, Miami ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in San Pedro Sula (Honduras, about 10%), Orlando (United States, about 10%) and Dallas (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Black Stink Bug sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black Stink Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Miami (13 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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