Oncacontias vittatus

Forest shield bug
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Acanthosomatidae
Subfamily: Acanthosomatinae
Genus: Oncacontias
Species:
O. vittatus
Binomial name
Oncacontias vittatus
Fabricus

The forest shield bug (Oncacontias vittatus) is a species of shield bugs endemic to New Zealand. Forest shield bug nymphs prefer feeding on grasses, while adults will eat a variety of New Zealand plants including "hard-leaved" plants like rimu. O. vittatus was one of the first insects from New Zealand to be described by a European scientist.[1]

Dorsal view of Oncacontias vittatus
Illustration of Oncacontias vittatus
Oncacontias vittatus carved on Maori pare at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection at Landcare Research, Auckland


  1. ^ "Shield bug". Landcare Research. Retrieved 17 October 2012.