harlequin bug


noun

a black stink bug, Murgantia histrionica, having red and yellow markings, that feeds on cabbages and other cruciferous plants.
Also called cabbage bug, calicoback, calico bug, harlequin cabbage bug.

Origin of harlequin bug

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

British Dictionary definitions for harlequin bug

harlequin bug

noun

a brightly coloured heteropterous insect, Murgantia histrionica, of the US and Central America: a pest of cabbages and related plants: family Pentatomidae