Choerocoris paganus aka Red Jewel Bug
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthopoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Scutelleridae
Montacute Conservation Park, South Australia – November 15th, 2014 – on ground, mating, overcast conditions
Photos: Michal Dutkiewicz
I didn’t recognize them from the ID shots on the net – Most people pump the colours and brightness to make them psychedelic and bright, but they are quite deep in colours in real life – I have tried to represent them as authentically as I can. They are a type of Stink Bug or Shield Bug and they use their rostrum, an extended, segmented mouth structure, to suck the sap of plant species, including Dodonaea.
