Black-and-Red Bug

Lygaeus equestris · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Lygaeidae

Also called: Harlequin bug

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Black-and-Red Bug
Photo: Konstantin Grebennikov, CC BY

The black-and-red bug is about a centimetre long and shows a red-black pattern with two dark bands on its wings and a white spot on the membrane. It lives in warm, limestone-rich lawns, forest clearings and scrub areas across much of Europe and parts of Brazil. Both nymphs and adults feed on plant juices from milkweed, dandelions, taraxacum and other herbaceous plants, and adults survive the winter.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

It has a distinctive red-black coloration, fully developed wings, strong legs, two transverse dark bands on the hemelytra that reach the edge, and a round white spot on the wing membrane.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Adults measure roughly 11 to 12 mm (0.43 to 0.47 in) in length.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It is found in lawns, forest clearings and scrub, preferring warm, calcareous sites.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Both nymphs and adults suck plant juices, especially from milkweed (Vincetoxicum hirundinaria), dandelions, taraxacum species and spring pheasant's eye (Adonis vernalis).

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Adults overwinter and re-appear in the spring.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are present throughout the winter months.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its range includes many European countries, from Albania to Sweden, as well as Brazil.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Black-and-Red Bug photo 3
Photo: Kostas Zontanos, CC BY
Black-and-Red Bug photo 4
Photo: unknown, CC0

Same family (Lygaeidae)

Large Milkweed BugLarge Milkweed BugOncopeltus fasciatusSmall Milkweed BugSmall Milkweed BugLygaeus kalmiiFalse Milkweed BugFalse Milkweed BugLygaeus turcicusIndian Milkweed BugIndian Milkweed BugSpilostethus pandurusDamages trees, gardens or cropsHarlequin bugHarlequin bugSpilostethus saxatilisDamages trees, gardens or cropsDarth Maul BugDarth Maul BugSpilostethus hospesDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygaeus_equestris

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

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