Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / All bugs / True bugs and cicadas
Sticker of Twice-stabbed stink bug
Bug card No. 4476 of 4,939

Twice-stabbed stink bug

Cosmopepla lintneriana
Eats: PlantsTrue bugs and cicadasGardens and meadows6 legs

The twice-stabbed stink bug is a small shiny black bug. It has a red, orange or yellow band behind its head and two red spots near its back end. Its babies start out red or white with black marks.

Lives in
North America, from Canada to Mexico
Top speed
about 0.2 km/h (0.12 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Like other stink bugs it can make a bad smell if you bother it.
What does it eat?
It sucks juice from many plants, like milk thistle, echinacea, asparagus, oats, mint and goldenrod.
For real!Photo of Twice-stabbed stink bug
Picture by Nihola. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

The colours of the babies change as they grow bigger.

2

Scientists described it twice under two different names, once in 1798 and again in 1865.

3

It has a short red stripe down the middle of its back.

you asked

Most asked questions about Twice-stabbed stink bug

?Is the twice-stabbed stink bug harmful?

No. It does not bite people. It may just smell bad if picked up.

?What does the twice-stabbed stink bug eat?

It feeds on many plants, such as mint, oats, asparagus and goldenrod.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Cosmopepla lintneriana
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Pentatomidae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Pentatomidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Cosmopepla lintneriana (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Nihola. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: True bugs and cicadas

Pharaoh cicadaTrue bugs and cicadasSpotted lanternflyTrue bugs and cicadasBrown marmorated stink bugTrue bugs and cicadasCochinealTrue bugs and cicadasBoxelder bugTrue bugs and cicadasWestern conifer seed bugTrue bugs and cicadas

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Common eastern bumblebeeBees and bumblebeesTawny crazy antAntsGreen-head antAntsBanded garden spiderSpidersBrown-tail mothMothsCommon red soldier beetleBeetles
Honey jarfor grown-ups