Gorse Shield Bug

Gorse Shield Bug

Piezodorus lituratus

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

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

7 Verified sightings at Snowdonia National Park From 2019 to 2026
115 In all 8 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Gorse Shield Bug

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
2 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
3 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
4 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
5 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
7 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
8 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
2 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%
4 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
6 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
7 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
8 Athens 🇬🇷 Greece
~10%
9 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
10 Munich 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Gorse Shield Bug in Snowdonia National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gorse Shield Bug sighting in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 264th most-seen of the 387 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 Gorse Shield Bug in Snowdonia National Park?

April to July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gorse Shield Bug in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to March, the lowest months.

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

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.

Which relatives of the Gorse Shield Bug live in Snowdonia National Park?

Same family: Pentatomidae

The closest relatives of the Gorse Shield Bug that you can see in Snowdonia National Park (family Pentatomidae, Stink Bugs) are Forest Bug (about 20%), Green Shield Bug (about 20%) and Sloe Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Gorse Shield Bug sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Gorse Shield Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Snowdonia National Park (7 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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