Insect · GBIF taxon 4388497
Boat Bug
Enoplops scaphaBoat bugs are sturdy, mottled brown true bugs recognized by their angular abdomen edges that flare out like the gunwales of a rowing dinghy. Adults emerge from leaf litter in warm spring sunshine to mate and deposit eggs on the foliage of hound's-tongue and related borage family plants. They overwinter in dense tussocks or under stones, completing a single generation each year across coastal margins and well-drained grasslands.
HerbivorousCamouflagedTerrestrial
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Hound's-tongue sap
- Viper's bugloss juices
- Sea mayweed tissues
Predators
- Insectivorous birds
- Ground beetles
- Hunting spiders
ThreatsHabitat fragmentation, scrub encroachment, and intensive agricultural grazing
HabitatsCoastal sand dunes, chalk grasslands, sea cliffs, and disturbed scrub
Life span9–12 months
Classification
- FamilyCoreidae
- SpeciesEnoplops scapha
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Search Location: Check beneath basal rosettes and around developing seed heads of host plants on sunny slopes.
- Gentle Observation: Approach without casting shadows, as adults quickly drop into vegetation when alarmed.
Host Plant (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Host Plant (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Same Family (c) Armin G. Fabritzek, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Armin G. Fabritzek · cc-by
Same Family (c) Barry Walter, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Barry Walter · cc-by
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