''Dindymus versicolor'', commonly called the harlequin bug, is a species of
cotton stainer bug (red bug), found in south-eastern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
. 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. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Agriculture) report they attack cotton,
pome fruits,
stone fruits
In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...
, fig, grape,
kurrajong, strawberry, vegetables,
wisteria
''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae). The genus includes four species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and nor ...
,
dahlia
''Dahlia'' ( , ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sun ...
and
violet
Violet may refer to:
Common meanings
* Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue
* One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly:
** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
Places United States
* Vi ...
s.
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