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Sticker of Darth Maul bug
Bug card No. 1307 of 4,939

Darth Maul bug

Spilostethus hospes
Eats: PlantsTrue bugs and cicadasGardens and meadows6 legs

The Darth Maul bug is a seed bug with a bold red or orange and black pattern on its back. Those bright colours warn birds that it tastes bad. Every bug's pattern is a little different.

Lives in
Asia, Australia and islands of the Pacific
Length
1.1 to 1.3 cm (0.43 to 0.51 in)
Top speed
about 0.21 km/h (0.13 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. It cannot sting.
What does it eat?
It sucks juices from leaves, stems, fruits and seeds, often on milkweed and cotton bush plants.
For real!Photo of Darth Maul bug
Picture by Len Worthington. CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Darth Maul bug about 1.3 cm long (0.51 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)
as long as 2 grains of rice in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 17 seconds

How big is Darth Maul bug compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It talks to other bugs of its kind by making tiny shakes that travel through stems and leaves.

2

Its babies look like tiny adults without wings.

3

Its eggs are laid in clusters that blend in with their surroundings.

4

Like all true bugs, its mouth is a sharp beak for sucking up juice.

you asked

Most asked questions about Darth Maul bug

?Is the Darth Maul bug poisonous?

Its colours warn animals that it tastes bad, but it is not dangerous to people.

?What does the Darth Maul bug eat?

It sucks juice from plants like milkweed and cotton bush.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Spilostethus hospes
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Lygaeidae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Lygaeidae
Lives on
Asia, Australia and Oceania
Also known as
Milkweed bug

Where the facts come from

  1. Spilostethus hospes (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 Len Worthington. CC BY-SA 2.0, 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.

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More from the same group: True bugs and cicadas

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

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