PSYCHE 
Vol. 78 
December, 1971 
No. 4 
THE BEHAVIOR OF A STINKBUG, 
E US C HIS TUS CONSPERSUS UHLER 
(HEMIPTERA: PENTATOMIDAE) 
By John Alcock 1 
Department of Psychology, University of Washington, 
Seattle, Washington 98105 
The small, brown-backed, pale-bellied stinkbug Euschistus consper- 
sus Uhler is a common insect along the Pacific coast from California 
to British Columbia (Essig, 1929). In some areas it is a pest feeding 
on pears and other commercially important fruits; the natural history 
of several of these populations has been reported by Borden, Madsen 
and Retan (1952). In addition aspects of the developmental cycle of 
this species have been studied in the laboratory (Hunter and Leigh, 
1965). This paper presents new information on the basking, feeding, 
dispersal and courtship behavior of one population of E. conspersus 
in Seattle, Washington. 
From the middle of May to the mid-October 1971 I watched the 
stinkbugs which inhabited a large vacant lot near the University of 
Washington. This area bordered Lake Washington and was covered 
by marsh and field grasses, willows, alders, cattails, and a dense stand 
of blackberry bushes. The results which follow have been derived 
from field notes and photographs made throughout the observation 
period. 
] It is a pleasure to acknowledge those who have helped in the preparation 
of this paper by providing me with information and ideas: Dr. Richard 
D. Alexander, Dr. Thomas E. Moore, Dr. Reece I. Sailer, Dr. Norman T. 
Davis, and Mr. Eric McPherson. Drs. G. G. E. Scudder and Thomas F. 
Leigh identified the stinkbug and offered assistance in a variety of ways. 
Dr. R. I. Sailer referred the wasp predator of E. conspersus to Dr. A. S. 
Menke, who kindly provided me with an identification. Mr. Doug Hender- 
son identified the foodplants of the bug. Dr. John Edwards was kind enough 
to read the manuscript and made very useful suggestions for its improve- 
ment. This study was done while the author was supported by NSF Grant 
GB-28714X. 
Manuscript received by the editor March 2, 1972 
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