''Sehirus luctuosus'', the Forget-me-not Bug, is a burrowing shieldbug belonging to the family

Cydnidae Cydnidae are a family of pentatomoid bugs, known by common names including burrowing bugs or burrower bugs. As the common name would suggest, many members of the group live a subterranean lifestyle, burrowing into soil using their head and forel ...

. It is found from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

.In Central Europe it is widespread and not uncommon. They are found in the Alps on sunny slopes up to almost 2000 meters above sea level. Adults are 6.2 to 8.3 millimeters long. They are completely black in colour and only sometimes have a bronze sheen. The second antennal segment (pedicellus) is much paler than the rest. ''Sehirus luctuosus'' feeds on species of ''

Anchusa The genus ''Anchusa'' belongs to the borage family (Boraginaceae). It includes about 35 species found growing in Europe, North Africa, South Africa and Western Asia. They are introduced in the United States. They consist of annual plants, bie ...

''. ''

Echium vulgare ''Echium vulgare'', known as viper's bugloss and blueweed,Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Toronto:Royal Ontario Museum, p. 203. is a species of flowering plant in the borag ...

'', forget-me-nots ''

Myosotis ''Myosotis'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The name comes from the Ancient Greek "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are colloquially known as forget-me-no ...

'' and species of violets including ''Viola riviniana''. Pairing is at the end of April and in May. During this time the imagines are found running and flying on many different plant species. Nymphs are found on the ground below the food crops. The nymphs occur primarily in June and July, the adult animals of the new generation from late July or August. There is one generation per year.

References

* Ekkehard Wachmann, Albert Melber, Jürgen Deckert: ''Wanzen''. Band 4: Pentatomomorpha II: ''Pentatomoidea: Cydnidae, Thyreocoridae, Plataspidae, Acanthosomatidae, Scutelleridae, Pentatomidae''. (= Die Tierwelt Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Meeresteile nach ihren Merkmalen und nach ihrer Lebensweise. 81. Teil). Goecke & Evers, Keltern 2008, .

External links

British Bugs
Cydnidae Hemiptera of Europe Insects described in 1866 {{Pentatomoidea-stub