Cotton Harlequin Bug vs Small Brown Planthopper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cotton Harlequin Bug Small Brown Planthopper
Scientific Name Tectocoris diophthalmus Laodelphax striatellus
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Scutelleridae Delphacidae
Size 15-20 mm 2-4 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Farmland
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Australia, Oceania East Asia, Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cotton Harlequin Bug

One of Australia's most colourful insects, with a brilliant metallic orange and iridescent blue-black shield-shaped body. The colour pattern varies between individuals, with females being larger and more brightly marked.

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Did You Know?

Females guard their eggs and young nymphs, standing over them protectively in a rare display of maternal care for a bug.

Small Brown Planthopper

A tiny brown-striped delphacid planthopper that vectors rice stripe virus and rice black-streaked dwarf virus. It has a characteristic spur on its hind tibiae typical of delphacids.

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Did You Know?

Unlike tropical rice planthoppers, this species can overwinter in temperate regions, surviving cold winters as nymphs in grass tussocks.