Adult Rutherglen Bug With Its Nymphs

Rutherglen Bug, Nysius Vinitor with First Instar Nymps on its body
sitting on Viburnum Tinus

Rutherglen Bug

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer

Order: Hemiptera 

Family: Lygaeidae 

Genus: Nysius

Nysius vinitor

My garden is full of these lately. I spotted a rather tiny Rutherglen Bug with what appeared to be orange dots. When looked at closely, these were the nymphs stuck on its body. Probably one of the few colourful pictures of very ordinary looking Rutherglen Bug on the internet!

Rutherglen Bug is very tiny, about 0.5 mm in length, looks like a very tiny fly. It takes flight at the slightest disturbance. There quite a few around here that keep flying to sit on my hands. These are Australian and they attack some major crops. See references.

References: www.daff.qld.gov.au CSIRO