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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Pentatomomorpha » Pyrrhocoroidea » Red Bugs (Pyrrhocoridae)

Family Pyrrhocoridae - Red Bugs

Non-native Red Bug in California - Scantius aegyptius

True Bug? - Dysdercus suturellus - male - female

Male, Mediterranean Red Bug? - Scantius aegyptius - male

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)

Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)

Infraorder Pentatomomorpha

Superfamily Pyrrhocoroidea

Family Pyrrhocoridae (Red Bugs)

Other Common Names

Stainers

Explanation of Names

Pyrrhocoridae Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Numbers

10 spp. in 3 genera in our area(1) (incl. two recently introduced w. Palaearctic spp.), >400 spp. in ~65 genera worldwide(2) OR 340 spp. in ~33 genera worldwide(3)

Size

8‒18 mm(4), exotic froms up to 30 mm(2)

Range

worldwide, most diverse in the tropics and subtropics, with just a few species in the temperate regions(2); in our area, mostly southern(4)

Habitat

most spp. are found on low plants; a few Old World spp. are ground-dwelling and thought to feed on fallen mature seeds(2)

Food

primarily granivorous or fructivorous(2)

Works Cited

1.	Nomina Insecta Nearctica Poole, Robert W. Nearctica.com, Inc.

2.	Zoological catalogue of Australia: Hemiptera: Heteroptera (Pentatomomorpha) Cassis G., Gross G.F. 2002. CSIRO Publishing, 751 pp.

3.	Biodiversity of the Heteroptera Henry T.J. 2009. In: Foottit R.G., Adler P.H., eds. Insect biodiversity: Science and society. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell: 223−263.

4.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

Contributed by Stephen_WV on 6 November, 2004 - 7:08am
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, v belov, PaleoJon
Last updated 10 January, 2025 - 9:49pm

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