| Birch Catkin Bug (Kleidocerys resedae (Panzer, 1797)) |
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Scientific name: Kleidocerys resedae (Panzer, 1797) Common name: Birch Catkin Bug French name: Punaise des chatons du bouleau Order: Heteroptera Family: Lygaeidae Wingspan : 4,55 to 5,55 mm. Biotope: On Birch trees. Geographic area: Europe, temperate and northern Asia, missing in China. North America. Observation period : All year long. |
The Birch Catkin Bug is a brown colour. It has a slightly lengthy shape. The fore wings show a large transparent area and are marked with some black dots. There are 3 rows of punctures on the clavus. Like other members of the Lygaeidae family, Birch Catkin Bugs have 4 articles on each antenna. The last article is slightly swollen. These bugs can emit a bad smell when they are manipulated. They over winter at the adult stage. Mating occurs at early spring. There may be several brood per year. You can observe larvae from March to September. The similar bug Kleidocerys ericae is a slightly smaller size. The pale area on the scutellum is larger and there are less black marks on the corium. It is found on Heather. |
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It is difficult to shoot pictures of these very small bugs as the lowest breath of wind makes the catkins move. At first, I wait for one of them to land on a better support and I use the flash to take the picture. |
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Birch Catkin Bug accompanied by a Multicoloured Asian Ladybird. |
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I have used the flash to avoid moving blur. The result is not very good because of the reflection on the membranous wings. |
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Mating. |
André Bon June 2013