Wee Harlequin Bug

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

The Wee Harlequin Bug is shaped like shield or armor. A glossy black body has two red spots in the center of its back and a red-rimmed ridge near the head. 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. Its small size may also be part of the reason why this species is so successful; it is difficult to see them. 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 Wee Harlequin Bugs in parks, fields, and meadows where they are 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.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hemiptera

Family: Pentatomidae

Genus: Cosmopepla

Species: lintneriana

Identifying Information

Scientific Name: Cosmopepla lintneriana

Other Name(s): Black-and-Red Stink Bug, Twice-stabbed Stink Bug, Two-spotted Stink Bug

Category: True Bug

Size (Adult; Length): 4mm to 7mm (0.16in to 0.27in)

Colors: black, red

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

Territorial Map

Alaska

Hawaii

Prince Edward Is.

Canadian territory of British Columbia graphic

Canadian territory of New Brunswick graphic

Canadian territory of Newfoundland and Labrador graphic

Canadian territory of Saskatchewan graphic

Contiguous United States shape map layer graphic

Territorial Reach (A-to-Z)

Newfoundland and Labrador

Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.

Wee Harlequin Bug (Cosmopepla lintneriana)

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