Red Spotted Plant Bug Deraeocoris ruber
The Red Spotted Plant Bug measures some 6 to 8 mm and is highly variable. Usually it is black and yellow, sometimes orange. The yellow may be so predominantly present the entire animal looks like being yellow, except for the two reddish spots near the tip of the upper wings. Sometimes the animal is entirely black. The two red spots however are always there and they gave the animal its name. Even the shield may be yellow all over or entirely black. Often there is a yellow marking on the shield, usually resembling a heart symbol. The nymphs are black except for the back which is pinkish.
The Red Spotted Plant Bug reproduces on nettles, where the nymphs are found. The adults however are found on numerous plants where they hunt for smaller insects. This is remarkable, for most Plant Bugs are vegetarians.
This is a common species over most of Europe. In Britain it is common in the south, getting scarce going northwards. It is very rare in Ireland. The Red Spotted Plant Bug is a common to scarce species in Northern and Southern America too.
The Red Spotted Plant Bug is also known as the Red Bug, the Red Plant Bug and the Red Spotted Bug.
