Troilus luridus is another greenish shield bug, looking like the Green Shield Bug very much. He's probably often mistaken for one, because we couldn't find a common English name. It does have a beautiful scientific name though. The green colour is not of the same kind of bright green the Green Shield Bug is. Troilus luridus can best be identified by the striking yellow patches in the antennae. It measures some 10 to 13 mm. It is a predator hunting for caterpillars, beetle larvae etc. It is even cultivated to serve as pest controller in agriculture. The older larvae are beautifully coloured and therefor don't look like the adults very much. Younger larvae are less well marked and much darker. Troilus luridus is a common shieldbug all over Europe, but never seen in very great numbers.



I'm not 100% certain if the larvae in the 3rd and 4th photo is actually Troilus Lurids is. It could just as well be Arma Custos. Let me know it if you know the correct name. The animal is more than welcome in the garden, though. After an explosion of saw fly larvae on our roses, this bug larva appeared and killed most of them very quickly indeed. That's how we like our bugs to behave...

(With thanks to Ann van Rooy from Belgium for help with identifying these critters!)