Bug FAQCharcoal Seed Bug
Melacoryphus lateralis · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Lygaeidae
Also called: Black-and-red Seed Bug
These bugs are tiny, ranging from about 1.5 mm up to 12 mm in length. They are black with red and gray fringe, giving them a charcoal-like look. They live in western North American deserts and often appear in large numbers in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The bug is black with a red-gray fringe, which is why it is called the charcoal seed bug.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 1.5 mm and 12 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is native to desert regions of western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Large numbers show up in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its natural range is the deserts of western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 19 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Nevada, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the charcoal seed bug look like?
It is black with a fringe of red and gray, resembling a dying ember.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lygaeidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melacoryphus_lateralis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.