I saw this dead wasp in a park in Hong Kong.
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1$\begingroup$ Looking at what I can see of the wings and antennae I'm more inclined to believe this is a true bug; a look at the animals topside (its upside down in these photos) would confirm that (but I suppose the corpse is no longer available for additional photos). $\endgroup$– user32396Jul 27, 2017 at 19:21
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1$\begingroup$ @ArthurJFrost We can also guess the rostrum on the photo, that is also a good hint that this is a hymenopteran. $\endgroup$– bliJul 31, 2017 at 9:44
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1 Answer
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First of all, it isn't a wasp, but a true bug. After a long search in the databases about Hong-Kong's insects, I found that it is a red cotton stainer. Wikipedia says "Dysdercus cingulatus occurs in Sri Lanka, northeastern India, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines, Sumatra, Borneo, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia". iNaturalist.org has a number of photos, including some that match the one in the question, and confirms that the bug occurs in Hong Kong.
These insects are serious pests of cotton and there are several other species of them, some of which occur in North America:
The cotton stainer is most common in southern Florida and in Cuba. It has been reported in Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. In view of its scarcity in north Florida, it must be presumed rare in the other three states mentioned. Dysdercus andreae ranges from southern Florida to most of the Antilles and Surinam. Dysdercus mimulus ranges from southern Florida, Texas, and Mexico into Central America and the West Indies. The fourth, undetermined species is known in the United States from two specimens taken at Key Largo Key and Homestead, Florida.
Here are some pictures to compare with these one in the question:
answered Jul 27, 2017 at 20:09
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5$\begingroup$ To clarify, it's not a beetle which form the order Coleoptera but a true bug comprising the order Hemiptera. Beetles undergo metamorphosis from egg to larva to pupa to adult. True bugs undergo incomplete metamorphosis. $\endgroup$– JudeJul 27, 2017 at 20:46