Red Cotton Bug vs Triatoma lecticularia

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Red Cotton Bug Triatoma lecticularia
Scientific Name Dysdercus koenigii Triatoma lecticularia
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Pyrrhocoridae Reduviidae
Size 12-18 mm 16-21 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Fungus Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka) Southeastern United States
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Red Cotton Bug

A bright red and black true bug that stains cotton lint by piercing developing cotton bolls. Adults and nymphs aggregate in large numbers on cotton plants, and their feeding introduces fungi that further damage the crop.

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Did You Know?

The red staining caused by this bug's feeding on cotton bolls reduces the market value of the cotton fiber by creating permanent yellow spots.

Triatoma lecticularia

A kissing bug found across the southeastern United States that occasionally invades homes. Its name references its historical association with beds.

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Did You Know?

Its species name 'lecticularia' derives from the Latin for 'small bed,' reflecting early encounters in sleeping quarters.