Miridae

Miridae (Plant Bugs)
Plant Bugs are a large family of small insects that are somewhat angular or oval in shape. Their overlapping wings often create an "X" or "V" shape along the back. Some plant bugs are colorful combinations of red, yellow, or black, while others are dull brown. They have long slender antennae. Plant bugs insert their eggs in plant stems and suck plant juices. Many species are considered pests, but they also suck nectar from wildflowers. Some species are host-specific, while others feed on a wide variety of plants.

Hilty, J. Editor. 2014. Insect Visitors of Illinois Wildflowers. World Wide Web electronic publication. illinoiswildflowers.info, version (09/2014)
See: Abbreviations for Insect Activities, Abbreviations for Scientific Observers, References for behavioral observations

License	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/Author	Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty
Source	http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects/files/plant_bugs.htm

Associations:

Animal / predator
Himacerus apterus is predator of Miridae

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Lindenius albilabris stocks nest with Miridae

Animal / predator
Nabis ferus is predator of Miridae

License	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author	BioImages, BioImages - the Virtual Fieldguide (UK)
Source	http://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/Miridae.htm

Statistics of barcoding coverage:

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records: 9868
Specimens with Sequences: 7774
Specimens with Barcodes: 6182
Species: 1145
Species With Barcodes: 893
Public Records: 3458
Public Species: 565
Public BINs: 465

License	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/Author	Sujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Source	http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=1332

Barcode data:

Access Published & Released Data: Download FASTA File

License	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/Author	Sujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Source	http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=1332

Locations of barcode samples:

Collection Sites: world map showing specimen collection locations for Miridae

License	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/Author	Sujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Source	http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=1332

Miridae:

"Leaf bug" redirects here. For the insect that resembles a leaf, see Phylliidae.

The large and diverse insect family Miridae contains the plant bugs, leaf bugs, and grass bugs, and may also be known as capsid bugs. It is the largest family of true bugs belonging to the suborder Heteroptera, with over 10,000 known species and new ones constantly being described. They are small, terrestrial insects, usually oval-shaped or elongate and measuring less than 12 millimetres (0.5 in) in length. Some are brightly coloured, others drab or dark. Some genera are ant mimics at certain stages of life. Most of the more well-known mirids have received attention because they are agricultural pests. They pierce plant tissues and feed on the juices.

Some mirid species:

Lygus bugs (Lygus spp.), including the tarnished and western tarnished plant bugs, are serious pests in the cotton, strawberry, and alfalfa industries.
Stenotus binotatus, a minor pest of cereal crops, especially wheat
Apple dimpling bug (Campylomma liebknechti) damages apple blossoms and small growing fruits.
Mosquito bugs Helopeltis and Afropeltis spp. – that infest various crops including tea, cacao and cotton
Honeylocust plant bug (Diaphnocoris chlorionis) damages foliage on honeylocust trees.

Creontiades dilutus

Green mirid (Creontiades dilutus) damages many types of field crops.
Potato mirid (Calocoris norvegicus) is a noted pest of potato and clover plants in New Zealand.
Deraeocoris nebulosus prefers other insects to plants in its diet, and has been used as a biocontrol agent against mites and scale insects.

Systematic[edit]

This family includes a large number of species, many of which are still unknown, distributed in more than 1300 genera. The taxonomic tree is divided into the following seven subfamilies and numerous tribes: