page_title: Cermatulus nasalis
section_title: Ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Cermatulus nasalis / Ecology
caption_attribution_description: (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Cermatulus nasalis turbotti illustrated by Des Helmore.
context_page_description: Cermatulus nasalis is a species of predatory shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is commonly known as the brown soldier bug or glossy shield bug and is native to Australia and New Zealand.
context_section_description: Cermatulus nasalis is predatory and feeds on a variety of insect species, plunging its beak into its prey and sucking out the body fluids.
  There is just one generation each year, breeding taking place over a period of several weeks during the summer. The female lays a batch of about thirty black eggs in three neat rows, on a leaf or patch of bark. The newly hatched nymphs are red with black heads and feed at first on the bacteria that coat the eggs, and also on plant sap. They moult five times, each instar having a different pattern of red and black markings. From the second instar onwards they are predators and feed on caterpillars and other insects with soft bodies.
caption: Cermatulus nasalis turbotti
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