Rambur's Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas sexmaculatus

First found in Kent in 2011 this species has now spread across much of the SE of England. In England it is mainly associated with Black Horehound but note that the very similar Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas bicolor can apparently be found on this species too (it seems to prefer White Dead-nettle though, in my experience).

These three were found during a short visit to east Kent. The white sides of the pronotum extend nearly to the rear, unlike on Pied Shieldbug where the white occupies no more than half the side of the pronotum. Another difference is the colour of the wing membrane - black on Rambur's - but this can be tricky to judge from photos - for example in the first photo below the rear individual's wing membrane does not look jet black while in the photo of Pied Shieldbug I've included below for comparison, it does look black.

Rambur's Pied Shieldbugs Tritomegas sexmaculatus, Cooper Street, near Ash (Kent, UK), 3rd May 2025

As I don't yet have a page for Pied Shieldbug, here's a photo for comparison.

Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas bicolor, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 24th April 2020