Ground Red Eyes Bug - Leptocoris mitellata
Family Rhopalidae
This page contains pictures and information about the Ground Red Eyes Bugs that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 15mm
The bug has bright red eyes and red abdomen. Its thorax and front wing covers are reddish-brown in colour. Its legs and antenna are all on black. The L. mitellata and L. tagalicus are looked exactly the same and it is almost impassable to distinguished them in photo. The L. mitellata is usually found on ground while all other Leptocoris species are on plants.
- This bug feeds on ripe seeds that fallen on ground. They run fast with their long legs..
- When disturbed they quick ran and hide under leaves litters.
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- 5th instars, body length12mm
- The nymph looks similar to the adult bugs except their wings are not fully developed. The head and wing buds are black in colour.
- 4th instars, body length 8mm
- Reference:
- 1. Insects
of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 504.
- 2. Plant bugs, Prime Facts - by Dr Murray Fletcher, 2007, www.dpi.gov.au
- 3. Wildlife of Greater Brisbane - New edition, Published by Queensland Museum 2007, p121.
- 4. Leptocoris mitellata Bergroth - Australian Insect Common Names, 2005, CSIRO.
- 5. RHOPALIDAE Scentless Plant Bugs - Save Our Waterways Now, 2008.
- 6. Ecology of Leptocoris Hahn (Hemiptera: Rhopalidae) soapberry bugs - Carroll, Scott P; Loye, Jenella E; Dingle, Hugh; Mathieson, Michael1; Zalucki, Myron P., Australian Journal of Entomology, 44. 344-353, 2005.
- 7. Studies on the biology, immature stages, and relative growth of some Australian bugs of the superfamily Coreoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) - Kumar, R. 1966, Australian Journal of Zoology 14: 895-991 [908].
