Anchor Stink Bug

Stiretrus anchorago · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Pentatomidae

Also called: Predatory stinkbug

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Anchor Stink Bug
Photo: Healthy Yards, CC BY

The anchor stink bug shows a wide range of markings, which can differ a lot between individuals. It lives in both Central America and North America. It feeds on other insects such as the Mexican bean beetle and the alfalfa weevil.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Markings on this species are highly variable.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

It preys upon Epilachna varivestis and Hypera postica.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Anchor Stink Bug photo 3
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY-SA
Anchor Stink Bug photo 4
Photo: skitterbug, CC BY
Anchor Stink Bug photo 5
Photo: Healthy Yards, CC BY
Anchor Stink Bug photo 6
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY-SA

Same family (Pentatomidae)

Brown Marmorated Stink BugBrown Marmorated Stink BugHalyomorpha halysDamages trees, gardens or cropsGreen Stink BugGreen Stink BugChinavia hilarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsHarlequin BugHarlequin BugMurgantia histrionicaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBrown Stink BugBrown Stink BugEuschistus servusDamages trees, gardens or cropsGreen Shield BugGreen Shield BugPalomena prasinaEuropean Striped Shield BugEuropean Striped Shield BugGraphosoma italicum

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiretrus_anchorago

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.