Seeking All Southern California Stinkbugs!

Help create a portrait of California stinkbug diversity and distribution by submitting your observations. Get help using a field guide to some of the stink bug taxa found in Southern California available at http://www.inaturalist.org/guides/887. Smartphone users can use iNaturalist apps, or use the Riverside NatureSpotter app (available free online for iPhone and Android devices); or upload data and image files directly to the project site. Hosted by the City of Riverside’s Metropolitan Museum, verification of observations will be carried out by Museum staff, UC-Riverside Entomology personnel, plus other entomologists and iNaturalist users.

Most stink bugs are large, easy to photograph, and their egg masses are conspicuous. As observations accumulate, iNaturalist creates a checklist of observed species for the project. These observations may also provide early detection of the spread of introduced pest species, such as the Brown Marmorated Stinkbug (Halyomorpha halys).