Jewel Bug

Little ‘jewels’.  Flashy, shiny and metallic.

• Jewel bugs are also known as metallic shield bugs.
• Jewel bugs are from the ‘Scutelleridae’ family, which are true bugs that have mouths that suck, rather than beetles that have mouths that chomp.
• The jewel bug’s diet consists of plant juices.
• When jewel bug’s feed, they alter the plant by injecting an enzyme from their saliva into the plant matter, which turns the plant into a liquid state.
• Jewel bugs are related to stink bugs, as they can produce a smell when they are irritated.

• There are approximately 450 species of jewel bugs around the world.
• Jewel bugs can range from 5 mm to 2 cm (0.2 to 0.79 inches) in length.
• Jewel bugs come in a range of colours including metallic or iridescent blue, red, orange, black and green.
• Jewel bugs lay white, cylindrical shaped eggs.
• Jewel bugs moult, which is when they shed their exoskeleton to grow bigger.

 Bibliography:
Scutelleridae 26 December 2012, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutelleridae>