Cactus Bearing Seed Bug
S5, dorsal
Ellura
Cactus Bearing Seed Bug
S5, profile
 
                      
Cactus Bearing Seed Bug (Cysteorrhacha cactifera)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: True Bugs (Hemiptera)
Family: Jumping Tree Bug (Cimicomorpha, Miridae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Cactus Bearing Seed Bug (Cysteorrhacha cactifera)
This Photo:     🔍S2, profile, stacked🔎

Thank you Danilo Lüdke for identifying this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
1st Live Photo on-line
1st Record on Atlas & iNat

~4.5 to ~5mm long
Looking at the dorsal view, you wouldn't expect this to be anything other than fairly normal bug. But the profile view shows a "scutellal lobe" with spines emminating from it. This isn't a singular abnormallity, we found 9 all with the same shape. As it turns out, it's a diagnostic feature and is featured in it's name - the cactus refers to the spiney protruberance on it's scutellum.

Copyright © 2017-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 02-Oct-2017
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.