Diet

• Adults and nymphs: Plant feeders that use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to extract sap from leaves, stems, flowers, developing seeds and fruits.

• They are associated with a variety of broad-leaved plants and may feed particularly heavily on developing fruit and seeds.

• Feeding can cause small lesions, discolouration and deformation of plant tissues.

Range

• Chinavia marginata is a stink bug (Pentatomidae) in the subfamily Pentatominae.

• It is a Neotropical species, occurring in Mexico, Central America and parts of South America.

• It is associated primarily with warm tropical and subtropical environments.

• It is occasionally sighted in Zihua, where the tropical vegetation provides suitable habitat.

Habitat

• Found in tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, woodland, scrub, forest edges, gardens and agricultural areas.

• Adults and nymphs occur on leaves, stems, flowers and developing fruits.

• Around Zihua, look carefully through shrubs and small trees, particularly where there is abundant new growth or fruit production.

• The green colouration provides effective camouflage among foliage.

Size

• Adult length: approximately 12–16 mm (0.47–0.63 in).

• Body broadly oval and shield-shaped, typical of Pentatomidae.

• Usually green to yellowish-green, with darker markings or margins that can become more noticeable in mature specimens.