Black-Shouldered Shieldbug

Black-Shouldered Shieldbug

Carpocoris purpureipennis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Ecrins National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%

17 Verified sightings at Ecrins National Park From 2019 to 2026
391 In all 11 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-Shouldered Shieldbug

Carpocoris purpureipennis is a species of shield bug of the family Pentatomidae, subfamily Pentatominae. This species can be found in most of Europe and in central Asia. They live in meadows, roadsides, edges of forests and gardens.

Carpocoris purpureipennis can reach a length of 11–13 millimetres (0.43–0.51 in). The pronotum is wide with a regular punctuation, almost straight and slightly pointed lateral margins with blunt tips. Also the lateral edges of the scutellum are nearly straight.

The body color varies from purple or reddish-brown to yellowish. The pronotum angles are black. Moreover pronotum usually shows short longitudinal black stripes, while the scutellum may have some contrasting black spots. Antennae are black and legs are orange.

This species is quite similar to, and can be easily confused with Carpocoris pudicus, C. fuscispinus, and C. mediterraneus. Both the adult bugs and their nymphs are polyphagous. Adults mainly feed on juices of Cirsium arvense and nectar of Leucanthemum vulgare.

In late May-early June these insects lay eggs on various herbaceous plants of the family of cereals (Poaceae), legumes... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
2 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
3 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
4 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
5 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
6 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
7 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
8 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
9 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~10%
10 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
11 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
2 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~10%
3 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
4 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
5 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
6 Turin 🇮🇹 Italy
~10%
7 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
8 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%
9 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~10%
10 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-Shouldered Shieldbug in Ecrins National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Shouldered Shieldbug sighting in Ecrins National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 70th most-seen of the 251 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-Shouldered Shieldbug in Ecrins National Park?

July and September

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Shouldered Shieldbug in Ecrins National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October and December–May, the lowest months. Those are among Ecrins National Park's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 160 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Black-Shouldered Shieldbug?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Shouldered Shieldbug 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 Ecrins National Park the best place to see a Black-Shouldered Shieldbug?

7th of 11

Of the 11 parks where we can rate Black-Shouldered Shieldbug sightings, Ecrins National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 30%), Cévennes National Park (France, about 20%) and Vanoise National Park (France, about 20%).

Where does the Black-Shouldered Shieldbug sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-Shouldered Shieldbug is recorded against all the insects logged in Ecrins National Park (17 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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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