Diet

• Adults and nymphs: Primarily plant-feeding, using their piercing-sucking mouthparts to obtain fluids from plants.

• Species of Tetyra feed on a variety of woody and herbaceous plants, although host-plant information is unevenly documented among species.

Range

• Tetyra belongs to the family Scutelleridae, subfamily Pachycorinae. The genus is found in the Americas, with species occurring in both the Nearctic and Neotropical regions.

• Around Zihua, the genus would likely be considered occasional to locally common, depending on the species and availability of suitable host plants.

Habitat

• Tetyra species occur in a variety of woodland, tropical dry forest, scrub, grassland and disturbed habitats.

• Many are associated with vegetation where their host plants are abundant, and adults may be found resting on leaves, stems and branches.

• Around Zihua, suitable habitat includes tropical deciduous forest, thorn scrub, forest edges, dry hillsides, gardens, agricultural areas and roadside vegetation.

Size

• Tetyra species are medium-sized, broadly oval shield bugs, generally around 10–15 mm long, although size varies among species.

• They have the characteristic enormously enlarged scutellum of Scutelleridae, which covers most of the abdomen and wings and gives them their distinctive shield-like appearance.

• Colouration varies considerably between species and can include brown, reddish, yellow, orange, black and metallic or contrasting markings.