Piezodorus lituratus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Piezodorus lituratus, the gorse shield bug, is a species of Pentatomidae, a family of shield bugs. These shield bugs live in many habitats where host plants are present. They prefer dry and warm habitats, especially with sandy soil. Piezodorus lituratus can reach a length of 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in). These large shieldbugs occur in two adult colour forms. In the spring when they emerge and mate they are predominantly green, while the new generation that appears in the late summer has purplish-red markings on the pronotum and corium. In autumn they have a much paler color, prior to hibernation they may become darker, but after hibernation they are bright green.
In Piezodorus lituratus var. alliaceus the corium shows a uniform yellow-greenish color. This species could be confused with the green shieldbug, Palomena prasina, but Piezodorus lituratus has a different habitat and red antennae.
Mating... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gorse Shield Bug sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 325th most-seen of the 597 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–May and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gorse Shield Bug in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and September–January, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gorse Shield Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Gorse Shield Bug sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain, about 20%), Cévennes National Park (France, about 10%) and Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 10%).
Same family: Pentatomidae
The closest relatives of the Gorse Shield Bug that you can see in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (family Pentatomidae, Stink Bugs) are Red Shield Bug (about 20%), European Striped Shield Bug (about 10%) and Southern Green Stink Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gorse Shield Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (11 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.
