Whilst technically not a true shieldbug, the general appearance and ecology of the Dock Bug are similar to shieldbugs and as such it is included here. It is a large species which is uniform brown in colour and black-tipped antennae. It has a rather slender body shape but it is slightly widened towards the posterior end of the abdomen and around the pronotum.
Distribution in Ireland: Restricted to the southern half of Ireland, the northern limit being a line drawn approximately from Dublin to Galway. within its range however it is fairly frequent and is currently spreading.
Habitat: A variety of habitats may be used including parks, gardens, brownfield sites, scrub and grasslands.
Habits: This is a herbivorous species which as its names suggests, feeds primarily on docks on sorrels. It can be found most easily around sunlit patches of Broad-leaved Dock in particular and visual searching and sweeping are effective ways to find it. It overwinters in a variety of settings including grassy tussocks and evergreen vegetation such as Gorse.
