''Graphosoma semipunctatum'' is a species of

true bug Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from to a ...

living exclusively in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

region. The form living on the island of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

has sometimes been given the name ''G. creticum''. It is very close to ''

Graphosoma italicum ''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. Description ''G. italicum'' can reach a length of . The body is almost round, with a la ...

''. It can be distinguished from ''G. italicum'' by black dots along the

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...

instead of lines, and the mostly orange legs. They are found abundantly on plants in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

. Its red color serves to warn its predators that it is not palatable.M. Chinery, Insectes de France et d'Europe méridionale, Flammarion, 2005

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2709248 Insects of North Africa Podopinae Insects described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius