Animal Species:Cotton Harlequin Bug The Cotton Harlequin Bug is
a member of the Jewel Bug family named for their bright metallic
colouration. The males and females of the Cotton Harlequin Bug
are different colours, with the females mostly orange and the
males mostly blue-red. The Cotton Harlequin Bug is found in
eastern Australia. The Cotton Harlequin Bug lives in urban,
agricultural and coastal areas. The Cotton Harlequin Bug is
common during summer in Sydney gardens and among ornamental
trees in parks. Feeding and Diet The Cotton Harlequin Bug feeds
on many species belonging to the hibiscus plant family
(Malvaceae), including ornamental hibiscus species and cotton.
It feeds mostly on young shoots, piercing the stems and sucking
the sugar-rich juices intended for shoot growth. Cotton
Harlequin Bugs are sometimes a minor pest of cotton and have
been known to cause the introduction of a fungus, which rots the
cotton boll. In gardens, they cause flower buds to drop
prematurely.