Currently viewing the category: "Red Bugs"
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Subject: Identify the bug
Location: Hyderabad (A.P) INDIA
March 26, 2013 2:51 am
Hello Sir, Pls identify the bug… And give me the classification also.
Thank u sir.
Signature: 919949863709

Red Bugs

Red Bugs

Dear 919949863709,
How sad that in India you have been dehumanized into a 12 digit number for identification purposes.  Our own American nine digit identification numbers are also used for identity purposes, but to avoid identity thieves, we do not freely publish that information.  These are Red Bugs in the family
Pyrrhocoridae.  We found a link on India Nature Watch that identifies it as a Stainer Bug, but no species name.

 

 

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Subject: South African Bug
Location: Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
March 7, 2013 12:24 am
Dear Bugman,
We spotted this bug while on a walking safari in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe last September. The first image I’m uploading to you is the photo we took of the bug. Using Google Images, I found the second image which shows a mating pair of the bugs and was taken at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Many thanks!
Signature: Eric

True Bug

Welwitschia Bug

Dear Eric,
Thank you for letting us know that only one of the photos was taken by you since we cannot post the other due to copyright infringement.  Alas, we have already spent our allotted time updating the site this morning and we cannot do the research to try to identify your True Bug in the suborder Heteroptera, but we will do further research later.  In the meantime, perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide a species identification while we are off teaching and otherwise furthering the education of others.

Thank you, Daniel.  It is helpful to know that the insect we photographed belongs to the suborder Heteroptera rather than the order Coleoptera.  That helps to narrow my search which I will continue while waiting to hear more from you.
Eric

Update:  March 9, 2013
Thanks to Cesar Crash because he pointed out that we already have an example in our archives of this Cotton Stainer,
Odontopus sexpunctatus, which is commonly called the Welwitschia Bug according to Andy Cowley.

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Subject: Fire Bug
Location: VUng Tau, VIetnam
January 6, 2013 7:10 am
Dear Bugpersonnel,
Is this a firebug, a cotton stainer or a red? It was found in Vung Tau, Vietnam feeding and mating on some rather large red seed pods with large black bean-like seeds inside of them. One strange thing is that the bugs are the exact same color as the seed pods. I’ve searched the Internet and have found similar bugs which are called fire bugs. However, there are some important differences. These bugs have completely red legs and the markings are unique. I attached 2 adult matings and 1 juvenile.
Signature: William Allen

Mating Red Bugs

Hi William,
The family Pyrrhocoridae is commonly called the Red Bug family, and the family includes the Cotton Stainers as well as the Firebugs, so Red Bugs is the more general family name that includes the other genera and species.  With that said, we are having difficulty identifying your Red Bugs to the species level.  We found some family members that are found in Viet Nam, but any with these exact markings are eluding us. 
Dindymus rubiginosus which we found on Bugs for Amateurs as well as FlickR lacks the spots.  Pyrrhopeplus posthumus which we located on BiotaTaiwanica is a close match.  The drawing of the wing pattern for Dysdercus cingulatus which we found on http://psybugs.biota.biodiv.tw/book/export/html/385 is pretty accurate, but once we found a photo of the insect on Forestry Images, the spots seem too high on the wings and the black triangular scutellum is missing on your specimens.  Project Noah did not provide us with anything conclusive.  After spending some time trying in vain to provide a species identification, we have decided to post you images and we hope one of our readers might be able to assist.  We feel confident that you can use the general term Red Bug to describe your individuals which are in the family Pyrrhocoridae.

Red Bug Nymph

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Subject: Ukrainian Beetle
Location: 150km south of Kiev, Ukraine
August 2, 2012 6:21 am
Saw lots and lots of these on a recent (July) trip to Ukraine, obviously during mating season! My dad thinks it is some sort of tiger beetle, but only having books of UK beetles, we are unable to get any closer in our identification.
Signature: Thank you! Mel

Mating Firebugs

Hi Mel,
These are mating Firebugs,
Pyrrhocoris apterus, and they are True Bugs, not Beetles.  They are very rare in the UK, but the British Bugs website does have a page devoted to Firebugs.

Thanks very much for such a prompt reply! Out of 350,000 species in the world, you nailed it in a few hours!
Regards,
Mel

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cool red beetle
Location: Hong Kong
May 6, 2012 1:27 am
Hi,
Could not find anything on the net, but found your site! This beetle lives in Hong Kong. A handsome specimin, but what is it?
Signature: Zine

Red Bug from Hong Kong

Dear Zine,
This is not a beetle, but rather a True Bug.  More specifically it is a Red Bug in the family Pyrrhocoridae.  We located a matching photo on FlickR that was identified as the genus
Cenaeus and then following that genus name, we found the BioDiversity Explorer post on the genus which identified the family.  We also found a common name Fire Bug, but that name is used for many other species.  We also found a posting in our archive from South Africa that we also believe is the genus Cenaeus.

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Need your help for identification
Location: Yalova, TR
April 15, 2012 1:05 pm
Dear Scientist,
I’ll be very glad if you’d help
with identification of the bugs
that I encountered in the forest
recently.
This picture is taken in Yalova,
Marmara region of Turkey.
Sincerely,
Ercan
Signature: Mr. Ercan Arısoy

Firebugs from Turkey

Dear Ercan,
We are not scientists, nor do we have a terribly extensive formal background in science.  We are artists who are trying to promote a better understanding of insects and their importance to the web of life on our planet.  These are Firebugs, Pyrrhocoris apterus, a benign species found throughout much of Europe.

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Shield bugs
Location: Namibia, Southern Africa
November 20, 2011 2:29 pm
Can you please help identify these shield bugs. They are on the seed cone of Welwitschia mirabilis. The picture was taken at10.50a.m. on 19th April 2011 by the C39 roadside west of Khorixas in Namibia.April was unusually wet in Namibia.
Signature: Roger Pinkney.

Cotton Stainers

Hi Roger,
We aren’t entirely convinced that these True Bugs are Shield Bugs.  They may be in another Hemipteran family.  We will try to determine their identity.

Hi Daniel and Roger:
These are Cotton Stainers (Pyrrhocoridae); specifically Odontopus sexpunctatus, the Welwitschia Bug. Regards.  Karl

Thanks Karl.  They aren’t very red for being a Red Bug.

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Mystery bug
Location: San Diego, CA
October 1, 2011 8:54 pm
Dear WTB,
These bugs have recently appeared in large amounts and are prolifically mating. It is late September and the weather has been hot and dry. I have recently planted a field of Protea flowers. Can you tell me what they are and if they will harm my plants?
Thank you!
Signature: Darwin

Red Bug

Hi Darwin,
The Red Bug,
Scantius aegyptius, is a non-native introduced species that was first reported in California in 2009.  According to the UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research website:  “The most noticeable impact of S. aegyptius in California will likely be the presence of large numbers of nymphs and adults migrating from drying annual weeds into adjacent developed areas.  These migrations consisting of thousands of individuals can be very conspicuous and lead to large aggregations on small patches of host plants causing concern to local residents who notice these obvious aggregations.“  That would indicate your Protea flowers are not in danger.

What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination