Elasmostethus interstinctus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Elasmostethus interstinctus, the birch shield bug, is species of shield bug in the Acanthosomatidae family. Shield bugs are often called "stink bugs" because they excrete a foul smelling liquid that is used to deter predators.
This rather common species has an holarctic range. It is widely distributed across Europe, Northern Asia (excluding China) and in North America. These shield bugs mainly inhabit sunny areas with mixed birch woodlands, deciduous trees and shrubs.
Elasmostethus interstinctus can reach a length of 8–11.5 millimetres (0.31–0.45 in). These shield bugs have a relatively flat body with the entire upper surface covered with mostly black punctures. The dorsal side is a bright yellow-green, with various red markings. In particular, pronotum is yellow-green, scutellum is green with a red center, clavus and corium are intensely red and the apex of the elytra are also bright red. The ventral side and the abdominal margins are yellow. Legs are yellow-green.
This species of shield bug can be confused with the Hawthorn Shield Bug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale), which is larger and more elongate and has a smaller lateral extensions... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 7 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 8 | Yekaterinburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Birch Shield Bug sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 536th most-seen of the 818 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.
August–September and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Birch Shield Bug in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–July and October–November, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Birch Shield 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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Birch Shield Bug sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%), Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Birch Shield Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (8 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.
