Aphid on the menu

Deraeocoris flavilinea

See what happens when you don't spray your plants with pesticides? If you look closely at the picture above, you'll see that one of last month's Mugwort Aphids is being stabbed in the back by the spiky rostrum of this Deraeocoris flavilinea. The latter is a predatory species, and various aphids are always on the "menu du jour". Other Deraeocoris species feed on plant matter as well as insects, so presumably this one does to, though I haven't found anything online that specifically says so. The British Bugs website lists Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and Field Maple (Acer campestre) as host plants; presumably these are the hosts for the insect's larval stages. However, the adults are often found on other species of trees and shrubs. The individual in the photo above is a female, identified by her overall orangish colour. Males are much darker. The pale edges to the pronotum (the section of the insect just behind the head) and the pale "V" on the scutellum (clearly visible in the picture) are good field marks for both sexes. According to online pictures, many show considerably more banding on the legs than this individual does. This species only arrived in the UK in 1996, but has already spread across much of south and central Britain. It came from the continent, where it is reasonably widespread in central Europe.