As the name implies this bug is native to Europe. The first Australian sighting was in the Western suburbs of Melbourne in late 2018 and it has since been found as far afield as Mt Macedon and Queenscliff (see https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/55610-Pyrrhocoris-apterus). In Europe it feeds mainly on the seeds of Linden trees and plants in the Mallow family (Malvacea) (Kristenová et. al. 2011). All the plants currently in the park that belong to this family are weeds, but nation-wide it includes many native species at least 55 of which are listed as rare or threatened in the Australian Species Profile and Threats Database.
Classification
from Australian Faunal Directory
Order Hemiptera - bugs, hoppers and scale insects
Suborder Heteroptera - true bugs, 2806 named species in Australia
Family Pyrrhocoridae - Red Bugs, 14 named species in Australia
Genus Pyrrhocoris
Species Pyrrhocoris apterus
References
- MARTA KRISTENOVÁ, ALICE EXNEROVÁ and PAVEL STYS (2010) Seed preferences of Pyrrhocoris apterus (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae): Are there specialized trophic populations? European Journal of Entomology 108:581-586.