Gold Coast Bugs (Hemiptera & Heteroptera)Assassin Bug (Pristhesancus plagipennis) Common Milkweed Bug (Arocatus rusticus) Cotton Harlequin Bug (Tectocoris diophthalmus) Eucalyptus Tip-wilting Bug (Amorbus alternatus) Green Jewel Bug (Lampromicra senator) Green-faced Wattle Hopper (Hackerobrachys viridiventris) Mallotus Harlequin Bug (Cantao parentum) Orange Assassin Bug (Gminatus australis) Red Spiny Assassin Bug (Scipinia arenacea) Shield Bug (Antestiopsis cederwaldi)
The only member in the genus Tectocoris, is the species Tectocoris diophthalmus. Belonging to the True Bugs suborder Heteroptera, the species is commonly known as the or Cotton Harlequin Bug and the Hibiscus Harlequin Bug.
A brightly coloured convex and rounded shield-shaped bug, that grows to about 20 mm. The adult females are mostly orange in colour, whilst the males are both blue and red or orange (both with metallic shenn). The nymphs are typically metallic green and purple.
Tectocoris diophthalmus colours are quite variable, especially in the immature stages. This extreme variability (since 1781) has seen the species being described under different names numerous times, until 2006, when it was finally confirmed that they were all colour forms of a single organism.
Cotton Harlequin Bugs feed on many species of the family Malvaceae, as well as cultivated cotton. They have also been seen feeding on Illawarra flame tree flowers, grevillea and bottlebrush saplings.
The females lay clusters of eggs around the stems of a plant (usually the hibiscus plant), guarding them until they hatch.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Hemiptera
- Suborder: Heteroptera
- Infraorder: Pentatomomorpha
- Superfamily: Pentatomoidea
- Family: Scutelleridae
- Subfamily: Tectocorinae
- Genus: Tectocoris
- Species: Tectocoris diophthalmus
Footnote & References
- Photographs © Stefan Jones
- Tectocoris diophthalmus (Thunberg, 1783), Cotton Harlequin Bug, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/e62692fe-6661-460c-98f2-cc11e22641b2
Gold Coast InsectsAntlions, Lacewings, and Allies (Neuroptera) Ants Bees Beetles Bugs (Hemiptera & Heteroptera) Buterflies & Moths Flies (Diptera) Wasps
QueenslandGold Coast Region Lamington National Park Southern Downs QLD