European Striped Shield Bug

European Striped Shield Bug

Graphosoma italicum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

83 Verified sightings at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park From 2019 to 2026
970 In all 19 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the European Striped Shield Bug

Graphosoma italicum is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is also known as the striped bug (or Italian striped bug) and minstrel bug. G. italicum can reach a length of 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in). The body is almost round, with a large shield. The basic color of the upperside of the body is red, with wide black longitudinal stripes. The pronotum has six black bands. The antennae are black. Also the sides of the abdominal segments (connexivum) are red with many small black spots. The legs are mostly black, which distinguishes it from its relative, G. lineatum.

Graphosoma italicum had been regarded as either a subspecies, or a synonym, of G. lineatum for over 100 years, so nearly all of the existing literature prior to 2007 referred to this species under the name lineatum. The validity of G. italicum was reestablished via DNA analysis, which demonstrated that the sister species to G. italicum is G. rubrolineatum, while G. lineatum is more closely related to G. semipunctatum. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~40%
2 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~30%
3 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~30%
4 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
5 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
6 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
7 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
8 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~30%
9 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
10 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
11 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
13 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
14 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
15 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
16 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
17 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
18 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
~10%
19 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~30%
2 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~30%
3 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~30%
4 Istanbul 🇹🇷 Turkey
~20%
5 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~20%
6 Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
7 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~20%
8 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
9 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
10 Valencia 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a European Striped Shield Bug in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a European Striped Shield Bug sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 83 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 45th most-seen of the 597 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a European Striped Shield Bug in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park?

June to August

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a European Striped Shield Bug in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months. Those are among Sierra de Guadarrama National Park's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see a European Striped Shield Bug?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European Striped Shield 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 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park the best place to see a European Striped Shield Bug?

17th of 19

Of the 19 parks where we can rate European Striped Shield Bug sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 17th at about 10%. The best odds are in Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 40%), Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 30%) and Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 30%).

Which relatives of the European Striped Shield Bug live in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park?

Same family: Pentatomidae

The closest relatives of the European Striped Shield Bug that you can see in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (family Pentatomidae, Stink Bugs) are Red Shield Bug (about 20%), Southern Green Stink Bug (about 10%) and Sloe Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the European Striped Shield Bug sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the European Striped Shield Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (83 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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