Named after a painter
Its bold rings and lines reminded people of the paintings of Pablo Picasso.
The Congo rainforest · Flies and true bugs
Picasso bug
Sphaerocoris annulus
A small, rounded, pale green bug covered in rings of orange, yellow and black, like a painted shield.
- Size
- About 8mm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Shrubs and crops in tropical and southern Africa
Trundles after you, and takes off if you are slow. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Picasso bug
Good to know
Six things about the picasso bug
One shield, not two
It looks like a beetle, but its back is a single shield with no join down the middle. Beetles have two wing cases.
It drinks through a straw
It is a true bug, with a sharp beak for sucking sap from plants.
A stink bug's cousin
Like its relatives the stink bugs, it gives off a strong smell when handled.
Colours as a warning
The bright pattern tells birds that it tastes as bad as it smells.
Fond of hibiscus
It feeds on hibiscus, cotton and coffee plants, among others.
The real thing
Photos of the picasso bug
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Check the stems and seed heads of hibiscus and other garden shrubs. It is small, so the pattern only shows when you are close.
How to help
It does little harm in a garden, and is one of the prettiest insects you could find there.
Keep going
More from The Congo rainforest
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