#813 - Melanacanthus scutellaris - Small Brown Bean Bug
A Broad-headed Bug (Fam. Alydidae) and an agricultural pest of beans and other Fabaceae, and native to the Australian mainland - reported from NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and probably the Northern Territory as well. A little over one centimeter in length (not including legs and antennae) with long antennae and a cream stripe along each side, although the stripe less distinct in the somewhat rounder females.. Males, like this one, also have a prominent pale patch on the scutellum.
Melanacanthus has a short spine on each ´shoulder´ (less pronounced than on Riptortus sp. - the large brown bean bugs), and thickened, spiny hindlegs (thinner than those of Riptortus sp.). The nymphs are dark brown or black and mimic ants.
South Fremantle, Perth