This Really Bugs Me... - a photo on Flickriver

            Okay, this really "bugs" me.  I had no idea what these small beetles are called.  Fortunately, after posting this, Johann de Jager and Ian Murray identified them!  They are known as Red Bugs or Cotton Stainers (because they stain cotton yellow).

I happened upon a few small piles of them on the sand in the mangroves at the Ponce de Leon Historical Park in Punta Gorda.  These were Red Bug Sloughs...  small and quite colorful... their bodies (I'm guessing the average length was 5/8" (1.59 cm.) had this beautiful red color with white stripes.  There were black patches where one would expect the wings to be attached (they are nymphs and have not yet developed wings).  

I had assumed that they are some type of beetle.  Not only didn't I know what they are called, I didn't know what they were doing (mating, feeding, etc.)?  While I wanted to spend more time taking pictures of them from different perspectives, I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos and I count myself lucky to have made it back out of the mangroves alive! 

This is not my usual type of picture but they were interesting enough that I thought I'd share it.  

_DSC7145

© Stephen L. Frazier - All Rights Reserved. Duplication, printing, publication, distribution, or other use without written permission is prohibited.

Taken on: April 2, 2024

Tags:

Charlotte County

Punta Gorda

sand

beach

bugs

insects

red

white

Stephen Frazier

Photography

Red Bug Slough

cotton stainer

Dysdercus suturellus

nymph « less

Camera: Nikon D750, f/5.6, 1/400 sec, 300mm, ISO 320 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D750
Lens:	28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	300mm
ISO:	320
Exposure Bias:	-5 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Fine Weather
Contrast:	High
Saturation:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	NIKON D750 Ver.1.15
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