any insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae (order Heteroptera), which contains more than 300 species. The red bug—a fairly common, gregarious, plant-feeding insect found mostly in the tropics and subtropics—is oval in shape and brightly coloured with red. It ranges in length from 8 to 18 mm (0.3 to 0.7 inch). Dimorphism, a condition in which two or more visibly different forms exist, may occur in some species (e.g., Pyrrhocoris apterus can be winged or wingless).

The genus Dysdercus is one of the most destructive cotton pests in North America and India. This cotton stainer damages cotton plants by sucking the sap and destroys the cotton bolls by staining them with excrement. At one time small piles of sugarcane were put between rows of cotton and orange trees to attract the red bugs; they were then destroyed with hot water. Now dusts and sprays are used for control. Not all red bugs are destructive. In India Dindymus larvae feed on termites, and the adults prey on flies.