''Tectocoris diophthalmus'', commonly known as the hibiscus harlequin bug or cotton harlequin bug, is the sole member of the genus ''Tectocoris''
[Cassis, G. & Vanags, L. (2006) Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae). Denisia 50: 275-398.] and subfamily Tectocorinae. It is a brightly coloured convex and rounded shield-shaped bug with a metallic sheen that grows to about 20 mm. Adult females are mostly orange and males are both blue and red or orange, while nymphs are typically metallic green and purple. The colours are quite variable, and experiments suggest that the variation in colour may reduce bird predation, especially on the immature stages. This extreme level of variation is such that different taxonomists have, since 1781, described this species under different new names at least 16 times, some of these supernumerary names remaining in use until 2006, when it was finally confirmed that they were all colour forms of a single organism.
It is common in Eastern Australia, New Guinea and several Pacific Islands in habitats ranging from urban to agricultural and coastal areas.
[Queensland Museum (2000), p. 89.]
Hibiscus harlequin bugs feed on many species of the family
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...
, as well as cultivated cotton. They will also feed on
Illawarra flame tree flowers,
grevillea
''Grevillea'', commonly known as spider flowers, is a genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. Plants in the genus ''Grevillea'' are shrubs, rarely trees, with the leaves arranged alternately along the b ...
and
bottlebrush saplings.
They pierce the stems of young shoots and suck the sap. Females lay clusters of eggs around stems of usually the hibiscus plant and then guards them until they hatch.
Gallery
Cotton Harlequin Bug. Cooktown.jpg, Cotton Harlequin Bug. Cooktown
Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repai ...
Tectocoris diophthalmus (female adult with eggs - ventrolateral).jpg, adult female guarding eggs
Tectocoris diophthalmus (female adult with eggs - dorsoolateral).jpg, adult female with eggs
Tectocoris diophthalmus group.jpg, This group is all blue, when typically they are a mix of blue and orange.
Tectocoris diophthalmus (Thunberg) (Hemiptera- Scutelleridae) - hibiscus harlequin bug (nymph) - dorsal view.jpg, Dorsal view
Footnotes
References
* Queensland Museum (2000). ''Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland''. ,
External links
* OzAnimals.com Australian Wildlif
* Excellent photos - showing colour variations and mating
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7692830
Insects of Australia
Scutelleridae
Insects described in 1783
Monotypic Hemiptera genera