| Spined soldier bug | |
|---|---|
| spined soldier bug eating mexican bean beetle larvae | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Family: | Pentatomidae |
| Genus: | Podisus |
| Species: | P. maculiventris |
| Binomial name | |
| Podisus maculiventris (Say, 1832) |
|
Podisus maculiventris, the spined soldier bug is a species of insect common in North America. They are predators of gypsy moth caterpillars and the larvae of beetles such as the Colorado potato beetle and the Mexican bean beetle. Since the Mexican bean beetle is widely regarded as a notorious agricultural pest in North America, soldier bugs are generally considered useful garden insects.