Numbers
1 Nearctic genus.
8 Nearctic species.
1 Recently introduced genus Scantius
Identification
These bugs resemble those in family Lygaeidae, but lack ocelli and have more veins in the membrane of the forewing. Most are colored black and red.
(1)Range
Most common in the southern United States and regions southward.
Remarks
The Cotton Stainer (Dysdercus suturellus) is a pest of cotton crops. "Feeding on the cotton bolls stains them an indelible yellow as plant sap seeps out of the puncture wound, and microorganisms and fungus grows at the site. The feeding habit also damages the fibres by cutting them, and affects the growth of the cotton boll." (From Naturia website; URL below.)
Bugs of this family feed most commonly on wild members of the Mallow family, but more than one species has developed a taste for cotton.
