Location: Julio E. Monagas Park, located at Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Has similarities with the Lygaeidae family, but still I have not found the exact insect I saw. I need to identify it in order to search more information about it. I attached a link to the album with pictures of the insect. Your help is greatly appreciated.
http://imgur.com/a/wePhT
Hi Carla:
A very colorful nymph of Pyrrhocoridae, genus Dysdercus sp. (Hemiptera). Most species feed on seeds or fruits particularly of plants belonging to the Malvales but a few feed on rotting debris including dead animal matter. A few species are predatory. In the fourth photo nymphs are eating an adult of the same species, perhaps the mother. It presents cannibal habits.
Regards,
Luis Miguel
Hi Carla:
A very colorful nymph of Pyrrhocoridae, genus Dysdercus sp. (Hemiptera). Most species feed on seeds or fruits particularly of plants belonging to the Malvales but a few feed on rotting debris including dead animal matter. A few species are predatory. In the fourth photo nymphs are eating an adult of the same species, perhaps the mother. It presents cannibal habits.
Regards,
Luis Miguel
Hi Luis Miguel:
Thanks for helping me identify this insect! While observing them I noted some things. Most of the time they were below leaves. When the temperature was cool, there were many of them, but at noon, when the temperature increased, they hid. Like you said, they presented cannibalistic habits. They also ate seeds of a particular tree and hibiscus flowers, although the latter were not abundant. I attached pictures of these insects that were very close to the nymphs. They presented a different color pattern and were bigger. Are they the adults? Once again, thank you very much!
Hi Carla:
Yes, these are the adults. They look similar to Dysdercus sanguinarius and D. bidentatus. These species have similar behaviour, perhaps you can read about them to compare with the one from Puerto Rico.
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