Bug Wiki
Sticker of Indian red bug
Bug card No. 2346 of 4,939

Indian red bug

Probergrothius sanguinolens

The Indian red bug is a bright red bug with black wing tips. Its feelers are black with a creamy white tip, like a tiny matchstick. It is often found on trees, sucking juice from their seeds.

Lives in
India, on trees and plants with seeds
Top speed
about 0.2 km/h (0.12 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people.
What does it eat?
It mostly eats seeds, especially seeds of Sterculia trees. It also feeds on freshly dead animals, and the youngest babies like that best.
For real!Photo of Indian red bug
Picture by L. Shyamal. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Very young babies would rather eat dead animal bits than seeds.

2

Mother bugs pass helpful tiny germs to their babies, and these germs live in the babies' tummies.

3

Its bright red colour is a common look among its relatives, the red bugs and cotton stainers.

you asked

Most asked questions about Indian red bug

?What does the Indian red bug eat?

Mostly seeds, especially from Sterculia trees, and sometimes freshly dead animals.

?Is the Indian red bug dangerous?

No. It is harmless to people.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Probergrothius sanguinolens
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Pyrrhocoridae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Pyrrhocoridae
Lives on
Asia

Where the facts come from

  1. Probergrothius sanguinolens (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by L. Shyamal. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: True bugs and cicadas

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Honey jarfor grown-ups