Firebug
Pyrrhocoris apterus
Adult firebugs are common on sunny tree trunks, walls, and ground near lime, mallow, and other seed-bearing plants across much of Europe and nearby regions. They feed with piercing-sucking mouthparts, mostly on fallen seeds but sometimes on dead insects or eggs. Their red-and-black warning pattern advertises foul defensive chemicals released when disturbed. The name apterus means wingless, and most adults have reduced wings and rarely fly.
- Type
- Venom
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- Firebug Nymph
- Firebug
- ?