Firebug

The Firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus) has only relatively recently been found in Britain, where it is now established.

Species introduction

At a glance
Latin name: 
Pyrrhocoris apterus
Family: 
Red bugs
Family Latin name: 
PYRRHOCORIDAE
Category: 
Insects other

Species description

Species description

The Firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus) has only relatively recently been found in Britain, where it is now established. They are between 8 and 10 millimetres in length. In Britain, they generally do not develop wings long enough to support flight. They often form dense congregations in spring prior to mating. They are often associated with Tree Mallows and Lime trees, on whose seeds they feed.

Species photographs

Larger photograph(s) (click to magnify)
The Firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus) has only relatively recently been found in Britain, where it is now established.

Details

Species family information

The Pyrrhocoridae family of insects consists of perhaps 300 species. The majority are red. They are found world-wide. Most species of the family feed on fruit seeds, although rotting debris is usually sufficient.

Category information

Insects evolved in the Ordovician from a crustacean ancestral lineage as terrestrial invertebrates with six legs (the Hexapoda). This was the time when terrestrial plants first appeared. In the Devonian some insects developed wings and flight, the first animals to do so. An early flying group was the Odonata from the Carboniferous, the damselflies and dragonflies, which have densely-veined wings and long, ten-segmented bodies. They are day-flying carnivores, with an aquatic larval stage, so are commonly seen flying near water. The carnivorous larvae are called nymphs. Odonata species are short-lived, damselflies surviving for 2-4 weeks, dragonflies for up to 2 months.

Some insect groups in the Cretaceous co-evolved with the flowering plants, and they have had a close association ever since. These groups are the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), the Diptera (flies), and the Coleoptera (beetles). The diversity of beetles is astonishing. Of all the known animal species on the planet, one in five is a beetle!