Wee Harlequin Bug - (Cosmopepla lintneriana)

Though small in stature, the Wee Harlequin Bug has made an entire continent a place to call home.

Staff Writer (6/18/2015): The Wee Harlequin Bug is shaped like shield or armor (armour). Its red and black coloring should be sufficient warning to those who might bother it. As a member of the Stink Bug family, it is capable of emitting a repugnant odor when threatened. Their small size may also be part of the reason why this species is so successful. It can be found in all three countries in North America, but it is not known to be a pest in any of them.

In warm months, expect to find them in parks, fields and meadows visiting flowers and vegetable plants. They particularly like plants in the Verbascum genus. They eat snapdragons, grapes, columbine and raspberries. Two generations can be produced in the warmer regions of the south, while only one generation is produced in the north.

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Details of the:
Wee Harlequin Bug

Category: True Bug
Common name: Wee Harlequin Bug
Scientific Name: Cosmopepla lintneriana
Other Names: Black-and-Red Stink Bug, Twice-Stabbed Stink Bug, Two-Spotted Stink Bug

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hemiptera

Family: Pentatomidae

Genus: Cosmopepla

Species: lintneriana

Size (Adult, Length): 4mm to 7mm (0.16in to 0.28in)

Identifying Colors: black, red

Additional Descriptors: shield, flying, armor, armour, small, tiny, smell, stink

North American Reach (Though Not Limited To*): Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming; Alberta; British Columbia; Manitoba; New Brunswick; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Ontario; Prince Edward Island; Quebec; Saskatchewan; Mexico

* Keep in mind that an insect's reach is not limited by lines on a map and therefore may appear in areas/regions/states beyond those listed above.

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