European Striped Shield Bug

European Striped Shield Bug

Graphosoma italicum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Wadden Sea National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

10 Verified sightings at Wadden Sea National Park From 2019 to 2026
970 In all 19 parks
May 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 Wadden Sea National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a European Striped Shield Bug sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 422nd 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a European Striped Shield Bug in Wadden Sea National Park?

May and August–September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a European Striped Shield Bug in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and October–April, the lowest months.

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 Wadden Sea National Park the best place to see a European Striped Shield Bug?

19th of 19

Of the 19 parks where we can rate European Striped Shield Bug sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 19th at under 5%. 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 Wadden Sea National Park?

Same family: Pentatomidae

The closest relatives of the European Striped Shield Bug that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (family Pentatomidae, Stink Bugs) are Green Shield Bug (about 10%), Forest 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 Wadden Sea National Park (10 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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