Bug FAQPittosporum shield bug
Monteithiella humeralis
The pittosporum shield bug is a small brown bug about 9 mm long with pale green legs. It feeds mainly on Pittosporum plants and is common in Australia and New Zealand, but it is not regarded as a pest there.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are brown with pale green legs; first-instar nymphs are tiny, black with white spots on the abdomen, and later nymphs have orange spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 9 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are most often found on Pittosporum species and occasionally on Coprosma.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They feed primarily on the leaves of Pittosporum plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay blue eggs on leaf undersides that turn white in 2 to 3 days and hatch after about 5 days. Nymphs pass through five instars and reach adulthood roughly 41 days after the eggs are laid.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are most common in November and March, while eggs and nymphs appear from November through April.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to Australia and has been introduced to New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What do pittosporum shield bugs eat?
They mainly feed on Pittosporum leaves, and sometimes on Coprosma.
Source: Wikipedia
Are pittosporum shield bugs a household pest?
No, they are common but not considered a pest in New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monteithiella_humeralis
Look it up elsewhere: iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.