Common Names: Harlequin Bugs, Cotton Harlequin Bugs, Hibiscus Harlequin Bugs
Species: Tectocoris diophthalmusFamily: SCUTELLERIDAE
Nymphs of the Hibiscus Harlequin Bugs (Tectocoris diophthalmus) until adulthood often hang around in clusters sucking fluids from the leaves of Malvaceae family members. They also sometimes have a taste for Brachychitons, Grevilleas and young Bottlebrushes. True bugs in the family Scutelleridae superficially resemble beetles, this is because they are often colourfull and their forewings are fused into a hard shell, and although the forewings of beetles are separate, both give an armoured appearance. These nymphs are chowing down on Hibiscus heterophyllus, a species of native Hibiscus. They have not yet developed the fused-forewing cover (scutellum) for which this family gets its name.
