''Hypsithocus hudsonae'', sometimes called the alpine shield bug or black alpine shield bug, is a species of flightless

shield bug Pentatomidae is a family of insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, generally called shield bugs or stink bugs. Pentatomidae is the largest family in the superfamily Pentatomoidea, and contains around 900 genera and over 4700 species.Robert ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to New Zealand. Few specimens have ever been collected and these have come from a relatively narrow geographical range. The

New Zealand Department of Conservation The Department of Conservation (DOC; Māori language, Māori: ''Te Papa Atawhai'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage. An advisory body, the New Zealand ...

classifies this species as 'At Risk,' with qualifiers 'data poor' and 'range restricted.'

Description

''H. hudsonae'' are dark brown shield bugs, 7–9 mm in length. Their bodies are oval shaped and flattened. Nymphs appear similar to adults except the margins of their bodies are pale brown. It is the only flightless New Zealand shield bug.

Life history

As with many species of Pentatomidae, ''H. hudsonae'' nymphs hatch from eggs and pass through five

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...

s before reaching adulthood.

Ecology

Specimens have only ever been collected from a small number of mountain sites in

Central Otago Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River ...

1200–1700 m above sea level. Their limited range may be explained by a lack of dispersal ability, as adults are flightless. The species is herbivorous, and has been collected from '' Veronica odora'', so may feed on that species. Mating is likely to occur in summer and the species probably only has a single brood each year.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10530820 Hemiptera of New Zealand Pentatomidae Insects described in 1927