''Dindymus versicolor'', commonly called the harlequin bug, is a species of
cotton stainer bug (red bug), found in south-eastern
Australia and
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. An attractive insect, up to 12 mm long with a black head and bands on the fore-wing, and orange/red elsewhere. When the wings are folded, two red triangles appear. Legs are relatively long.
[ Library of Congress Catalog Card (LCCN) 6822996 (Juvenile audience)]
These sucking insects have a reputation as a pest in the garden, damaging a wide range of plants. They are known to damage a variety of crops and
ornamentals
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Agriculture) report they attack cotton,
pome fruits,
stone fruits, fig, grape,
kurrajong, strawberry, vegetables,
wisteria
''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and north ...
,
dahlia
Dahlia (, ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the Asteraceae (former name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, ...
and
violets.
In winter they find shelter in dark shady places such as under compost, timber, hedges and fence palings.
References
External links
Trove List
Pyrrhocoridae
Insects of Australia
{{Heteroptera-stub