Seed Bugs, Milkweed Bugs, Chinch Bugs - Family Lygaeidae
This family can be distinguished from the Miridae and Coreidae by their forewings which have 4-5 veins and without a cuneus. The front section of their forewings is slightly harden and the back section membranous. Their hind wings are always membranous. They are usually brown to red in colour. Adults are from 4 to 20mm long, with oval shape and flattened body. Their antennae are four segmented.
Most species feed on plant seeds. Some are suspected to be predaceous. They sometimes present in great numbers and thus may be harmful to some crops. Some of them are a serious pests of agricultural crops and other vegetation.
- Large Milkweed Bug
- Spilostethus sp. sub-family Lygaeinae, body length 15mm
- The Large Milkweed Bugs are red in colour, with black pattern. Sure this is the warning colour pattern to their predators. Their antennae and legs are black in colour. Details see the Large Milkweed Bugs page.
- Small Milkweed Bug
- ? sp., body length 12mm
- We found two red bugs on the Milkweed plant. The Large Milkweed bugs, with black patterns on orange colour, larger in size. And this Small Milkweed Bugs, with simpler patterns on wings and thorax, little bit smaller in size. They are not female and male because we saw two bugs with same colour pattern mating. However, they just stay together peacefully sucking the milk from the Milkweed plants. More information and pictures here.
- Cottonseed Bug
- Oxycarenus luctuosus, sub-family Oxycareninae, body length 5mm
- The Cottonseed Bugs are small in size. Their back is triangular-patterned in black and white colours. We found them on our hibiscus plants on early spring. The nymphs are black in colour with blood-red abdomens.
- Ant-mimic Bug
- ?sp., body length 10mm
- Yes, this is a true bug. Its body colour and behaviour is mimicking the black ant. It was found wandering on a large gum tree trunk, where a lot of black ants is running around. It did not have the waist, which is the characteristic of all ants, but its body colour pattern mimics just exactly this. From our reference books, ant-mimic bug could be lygaeids, alydids or mirids. From its head and antenna it looks like a lygaeids so we put it in this family.
- Red Bug Nymph and Adult
- ?sp., body length 5mm
- Body length 10mm
- We are not sure if this red bug is belong to this family.
- The mating bugs keep running and hard to take a good picture.
