Barn Swallow Bug vs Tessaratomid Giant Shield Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Barn Swallow Bug Tessaratomid Giant Shield Bug
Scientific Name Oeciacus vicarius Tessaratoma papillosa
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cimicidae Tessaratomidae
Size 3-4 mm 25-30 mm
Habitat Woodlands Orchards
Diet Blood Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions North America South and Southeast Asia, China
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Barn Swallow Bug

A cimicid ectoparasite of cliff swallows and barn swallows in North America. It can bite humans in buildings after swallow nests are abandoned.

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Did You Know?

Swallow colonies may abandon heavily infested nesting sites and relocate to parasite-free locations.

Tessaratomid Giant Shield Bug

A very large, robust shield bug that is a serious pest of lychee and longan trees in Asia. Adults are yellowish-brown and can spray a caustic defensive fluid. It is one of the largest true bugs in the Hemiptera order.

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Did You Know?

It can spray a caustic chemical from its thoracic glands that causes intense burning pain and temporary blindness if it contacts the eyes of a predator or person.