A few days ago while I was out for bug patrol, yes, it is that time of the year when the Japanese beetles come out in swarms, I came upon this little cutie in the vineyard and took many, many photos hoping to get a few good shots. I did manage to get two good shots, one from the top and fortuitously, one side view, which showed an under belly of polka dots. Check this out:
I looked on the Internet and the closest that I could come to identifying this beetle was something called the shield bug, but those did not have the markings that was on this beetle that I photographed. I emailed Pamm Cooper of the UConn Extension and she wrote back to me that indeed, this bug is a member of the shield bug family and it is an anchor bug, moreover, it is a pedator!
I found some information on the anchor bug on the NC State University
Department of Entomology Biological Control Information Center. The scientific name for the anchor bug is
Stiretrus anchorago. I love the description of how they feed (the following is not for the faint of heart): To feed, they swing their beaks up from under their bodies, sneak up to their prey and jab them with the harpoon-like tips. They inject digestive enzymes through the beak that soon render the prey immobile, after which they suck up the digested insides. Check out the photo on the right for a view of this amazing beak!
Unfortunately, this same article says that they are somewhat uncommon pest control agents.
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