Kudzu Bug

megacopta cribraria

The Kudzu Bug (Megacopta cribraria), also known as the bean plataspid, is a small but highly impactful invasive insect native to East Asia. First detected in the United States in Georgia in 2009, this tiny bug has quickly spread across the Southeast, causing significant concern for agriculturalists. Despite its pest status, the Kudzu Bug is an intriguing creature. It belongs to the family Plataspidae, which are characterized by their rounded, beetle-like bodies and a unique symbiotic relationship with gut bacteria that they transmit to their offspring in specialized packets called symbiont capsules.

Habitat: Commonly found in open fields, agricultural lands, and roadsides where kudzu vines or legume crops are abundant.

Appearance

The Kudzu Bug is tiny, measuring between 4 to 6 millimeters in length, and is characterized by a distinctive, square-like or globular body shape that is wider at the rear. It possesses a mottled olive-green, brown, or grayish coloration with numerous dark punctures covering its dorsal surface. Unlike typical true bugs, its scutellum is greatly enlarged, covering almost its entire abdomen and wings. When viewed from above, its body resembles a tiny, armored olive or a small, round beetle, and it has a noticeably flattened, blunt head.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderHemipteraFamilyPlataspidaeGenusMegacopta

Kudzu Bug

Interesting facts

If a female's eggs are separated from her symbiont capsules, the emerging nymphs will suffer from stunted growth or fail to reach maturity.

Kudzu bugs are not true beetles, despite their round shape; they are true bugs (Hemiptera) and possess piercing-sucking mouthparts.

The chemical defensive spray of the kudzu bug can cause skin irritation, staining, and mild blistering in sensitive individuals.

They are hitchhiking experts; their rapid spread across the United States was heavily aided by clinging to vehicles and shipping containers.

Special abilities

Females deposit nutrient-rich bacterial capsules near their eggs, ensuring the nymphs ingest essential gut symbionts immediately upon hatching.

When threatened or crushed, the bug releases a highly pungent, foul-smelling liquid from abdominal glands to deter potential predators.

During autumn, they can detect radiant heat and gather in massive, huddled groups on warm, light-colored structures to survive the cold.

Measurements & details

Length: 0+ cm
Wingspan: 0+ cm
Weight: 0+ kg
Lifespan: 0+ years
Top Speed: 5 km/h

Diet & Feeding

Feeds exclusively on plant juices, using its piercing-sucking mouthparts to drain nutrients from stems and petioles of legumes.

Age differences: Nymphs and adults feed on the same host plants, but nymphs rely on the specific gut symbionts acquired at hatching to digest the plant juices.