Loving Stinky Armadillos: Have You Ever Seen Them?

Today we're introducing you to the arthropod • Tessaratoma papillosa.

Arthropods, Class Insecta, Order Hemiptera, Family Tessaratomeidae. Tessaratoma, also known as litchi louse, litchi louse mimic, or stink bug, is one of the main pests of lychee and longan. It has a distribution in Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Taiwan. Photo taken in Menglian, Pu'er.

The adult Tessaratoma has a body length of 21–26mm, and a width of 11–13mm. The body is reddish-brown, shaped like a small shield, with a concave surface at the end of the shield, forming a spoon-shaped depression. However, the nymphs (larvae) of Tessaratoma are very different from the adults, which may make people mistakenly think they are two different insects. The nymphs look like a flattened shield, with gray edges and multiple short transverse red lines inside, two long vertical lines, and a white stripe in the middle, and the second half of the body looks like a V-shaped cut out. In short, it's a handsome bug.

Although beautiful, it is indeed a major pest of lychee and longan, very good at damaging fruits, especially targeting the juice of young leaves, flowers, and young fruits, causing flower and fruit drop, and fruit yield reduction and failure. Studies have shown that the largest enemy of Tessaratoma is spiders, followed by predatory insects and insectivorous birds.

In addition, the nickname 'stink bug' of Tessaratoma is not a false name. It is described as: 'When you smell it, it can reduce your lifespan by eight hundred years.' When Tessaratoma is startled, it will secrete a smelly liquid, which is extremely smelly and has corrosive properties, not only affecting the trees but also damaging the eyes and skin of humans. (Yunnan Release)