Melacoryphus lateralis pronounced (mela-co-lorf-ith ladder-a-lith) a species of Hemiptera, or true bug one of several called black-and-red seed bug.

Black and fringed with red and gray, some call it the charcoal seed bug, due to its resemblance to a dying ember.

Native to the deserts of western North America, they have a tendency to appear in large numbers in the late summer.

The Melacoryphus lateralis are close relatives of the small milkweed bug, another black-and-orange insect and are also very durable being able to survive being stomped on.

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