Swan plant seed bug nymphs. Image: ecoman / CC-BY-NC
- Pūtoi
- Order
- Hemiptera
- Whānau
- Family
- Lygaeidae
Te Rahi
- He āhua 10 mm te roa
Size range
- About 10 mm long
Te Tītaringa
- Nō Ahitereiria.
- Kua toro i te nuku o te whenua i Aotearoa, tae rawa atu ki te Pokapū o Ōtākou
Distribution
- Originally from Australia.
- Found in NZ, as far south as Central Otago
Te Huringa Ora
- Kai ai ngā kōhungahunga me ngā kātua i ngā kākano o te ‘tupu wana’ (Gomphocarpus).
- Ka kitea anō e piri ana ki te Tweedia me te Parsonsia (he tipu torotoro nō Aotearoa)
- Moe takurua ai ngā kātua i roto i ngā rau mate, i raro rānei i te hiako rākau
Life history
- Nymphs and adults feed on seeds of swan plant (Gomphocarpus).
- Also found on Tweedia and Parsonsia (a NZ creeper)
- Adults hibernate amongst dead leaves and under bark
