Bug FAQOcellated shield bug
Cantao ocellatus · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Scutelleridae
The ocellated shield bug is reddish-ochre with dark legs and bluish-black antennae. It occurs across the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, Japan and Zaire. Females guard their eggs and newly hatched nymphs, but eggs left uncovered at the edge can be parasitized by wasps.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
A dark bluish-black stripe runs down the centre of the head. The pronotum may show two black spots on its front edge or up to eight spots. The scutellum bears six to eight black spots outlined in yellow.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are reddish or ochre overall, with dark legs and bluish-black antennae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It has been reported from the Indian subcontinent through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea. Additional records exist from Japan and Zaire.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females exhibit maternal care, standing over and covering their eggs after laying. Eggs laid at the edge of a clutch that the female cannot cover are often parasitized by wasps.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is a shield bug native to Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is this bug found?
It occurs from the Indian subcontinent across Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea, and also in Japan and Zaire.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Scutelleridae)
Tortoise BugEurygaster testudinariaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Hibiscus Harlequin BugTectocoris diophthalmusDamages trees, gardens or crops
European Tortoise BugEurygaster mauraDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red Jewel BugChoerocoris paganusHarmless
Metallic Shield BugScutiphora pedicellata
Green Jewel BugLampromicra senatorSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantao_ocellatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.