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Description: One of the UK's smallest shield bugs (usually around 5-7mm in length), Zircona caerulea has a deep blueish green metallic colouring that can vary according to the lighting conditions and a very dark wing membrane. The larvae are very different though, displaying a bright red colouration with black markings. Adults are usually first seen from April onwards (my specimen was photographed in Lincolnshire on the 17th of April, 2011); they have one brood a year and the first of the new generation of adults can be seen from July onwards. Occuring on low vegetation in a variety of habitats, but not often seen in suburban gardens, Zircona caerulea is a predatory species, very often feeding off the larvae of Altica oleracea (Chrysomelidae). It can be found throughout the UK, but is absent from Ireland.
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