What they look like: Adult harlequin bugs have vibrant red (sometimes orange) and black markings and are about 9.5 millimeters long with “flat, shield-shaped bodies,” Ramsey says.

Shield bugs are often bright ... going for example from red and green to yellow and green," said lead author and ecologist, Dr Iliana Medina, from the University of Melbourne's School of Biosciences.

This is an insect, a hawthorn shield bug that has wakened up from its overwintering ... the amount of land under tillage. This species is red-listed, according to Birds of Conservation Concern ...