Africa Wild

Take lots of pics of insects on your next trip I LOVE all of them, and it's fun trying to ID them...especially when you get one right!

They are so intricate and are seldom seen by most people - looking forward to more posts from you.

Here you go then 2 poor Shield Bug pics, a Ladybird and a tatty butterfly I tentatively id as Common Grass Yellow.

YAY! Thank you. Will work on them tomorrow - it's dinnertime here in the USA and my SO thinks IDing BUGS is not an acceptable excuse for delaying it. He's SO out of touch....

11:30pm here in England, bedtime, so no problem.

ExF, you are a star, a very clever star

GlosterBirder wrote: Here you go then 2 poor Shield Bug pics, a Ladybird and a tatty butterfly I tentatively id as Common Grass Yellow.

oops, looks like the pic didn't show up ...anyway...

Re: Common Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe)

You might also want to consider the Broad Bordered Grass Yellow (Eurema brigitta), as it has more extensive black borders (hence its name), on both upper and lower wings.

Yours certainly has broad borders on the upper wings, extending to the conjunction w/ the body, and you can also see that the black border is quite broad on the hind wing , even tho' most of it is missing.

Additionally, the "outline" of the black border where it meets the yellow on the forewing is more evenly curved (as in your pic) in E.brigitta than in E.hecabe , where it is more irregular and wavy.

Last point, the underside wing markings are USUALLY more prominent in the Common G.Yel., including a "scattering of small brown patches and dark-edged light spots", than in the Broad B. Gr. Yel - which are reduced and more speckle-like, as in your pic.

Just an option that seems a better match to me.

Thanks ExF, makes sense they all had broad borders, I like the the Latin name better too, brigitta, easier to remember as my wife is called Bridgette

Right ExF, I know you wouldn't want to kick a man when he's down but I think I have id these myself. I make them Yellow Pansy, Blue Pansy, Spotted Sailor, Spotted Joker and Natal Acraea but I'm possibly wrong

Perfect!

Re: Ladybird

Possibly Harmonia axyridid

Harmonia axyridis, most commonly known as the harlequin, multicolored Asian, or simply Asian ladybeetle, is a large coccinellid beetle. This is one of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of color forms.



It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in South Africa and widely across South America.

Shield Bug (second one)

Poss.: Coenomorpha sp. - Bark Stink Bug nymph as found here in AW's book:

https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?p=232985

Seems like you already know, for the most part, what you're looking at. I may have to confer with you on some of my unknowns.