big-eyed bug

noun

: a bug of the family Lygaeidae

especially : any of several bugs (genus Geocoris) that have protuberant eyes which project backward over the pronotum and feed especially on aphids and leafhoppers

Ground beetles and big-eyed bugs are actually beneficial and help to keep pest insects under control.

—Eleanor Foerste, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Nov. 1994

The big-eyed bug preys on spider mites (Tetranychus species), serious pests of the cotton plant.

—Science News, 26 July 1997

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