Spined Soldier Bug vs Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spined Soldier Bug Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle
Scientific Name Podisus maculiventris Cicindela sexguttata
Order Hemiptera Coleoptera
Family Pentatomidae Cicindelidae
Size 10-13 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Gardens Forests
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Throughout North America Eastern United States and southeastern Canada
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Spined Soldier Bug

A beneficial predatory stink bug with prominent shoulder spines and a mottled brown body. It feeds on pest caterpillars and beetle larvae in gardens and agricultural fields.

💡

Did You Know?

It is commercially reared and sold as a biological control agent for managing pest caterpillars in agriculture.

Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle

A brilliant metallic green beetle with six white spots on its elytra. It is an agile predator commonly seen on forest paths in spring.

💡

Did You Know?

It runs so fast while chasing prey that it temporarily goes blind and must stop to re-locate its target.