Box Bug vs Harlequin Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Box Bug Harlequin Bug
Scientific Name Gonocerus acuteangulatus Murgantia histrionica
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Coreidae Pentatomidae
Size 11-14 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Heathland Farmland
Diet Fruit Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Box Bug

A slender, reddish-brown coreid bug historically restricted to box trees in southern England but now expanding its range northward. It feeds on developing fruits and seeds of box and hawthorn.

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Did You Know?

Once Britain's rarest shieldbug confined to a single box woodland, it has expanded dramatically northward since 2000 due to warming temperatures.

Harlequin Bug

A boldly patterned stink bug with striking black and orange or red markings arranged in a harlequin pattern. It is a significant pest of cabbage and other cruciferous crops.

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Did You Know?

Female harlequin bugs lay their barrel-shaped eggs in precise double rows of 12, resembling tiny black-and-white striped barrels arranged like dominos.