Predatory Stinkbug - Apateticus lineolatus

Predatory Stinkbug - Apateticus lineolatus [1]
Heteroptera (True Bugs) » Pentatomoidea » Pentatomidae (Stink Bugs) » Asopinae (Predatory Stink Bugs)
Live stinkbug photographed at 9650 ft. elevation at Flat Tops Wilderness, White River Nat'l Forest, Eagle County, Colorado.
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I found this 13mm predatory stinkbug on a warm day in September, in the White River National Forest, Eagle County, Colorado, USA.

Predatory Stinkbug - Apateticus lineolatus

Predatory Stinkbug has 2 large compound eyes and 2 smaller, simple eyes (ocelli).

Stink bugs feed on developing seed of many hosts including trees, shrubs, vines, weeds and many cultivated crops. They may also feed on the stems and foliage when seed are not present. Both nymph and adult stink bugs pierce plants with their needlelike mouthparts and suck sap from pods, buds, blossoms and seeds. Predatory stinkbugs like those featured here do the same thing to their mostly insect prey.

The family name, Pentatomidae, comes from the Greek "pente" (five) + "tomos" (a section); perhaps a reference to the 5-segmented antennae, or perhaps a reference to the body, which, when viewed from above, appears to be divided into 5 large sections. The scutellum is the largest section.

Stinkbug Ventral View
Predatory stinkbugs use their fearsome stylet mouthparts (curving to the left from under the head) to suck out their prey's liquefied innards.

Stink bugs get their common name from the foul-smelling fluids they exude when disturbed. Both adults and nymphs have large glands that discharge underneath the body. Stinkbugs are shy, I can tell you - and they will fly off very quickly if you get in their face.

Several species of insects that feed on peaches and other fruits early in the growing season cause a gnarling and distortion of the fruits called catfacing. Plant bugs and stink bugs, called catfacing insects, are largely responsible for this type of injury. They suck the sap from the fruit. If the peaches do not fall as a result of this attack, fruit development is inhibited in the area of the punctures. The surrounding healthy tissue continues to grow thereby causing a defect resembling a cat's face.

The green stink bug, Acrosternum hilare, and brown stink bug, Euschistus servus are the two catfacing culprits most frequently cited from the Pentatomidae family.

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