Small World Discoveries

HEMIPTERA > HETEROPTERA > CIMICOMORPHA > Miridae > Phylini

This is the sixth and final 'family accounts' page for capsid bugs that, at present, features just two species from the Phylini tribe, which is another large assemblage of variable species with no specific collective features other than the pronotum lacks a collar. At the time of writing, the 'British Bugs' site provides information on no less than 49 species in 28 genera.

Harpocera thoracica is a common woodland species that can be found during May and June when the adults are active. They appear in the spring but, especially with the male, are short-lived as the species spends most of the year in the egg stage of its development cycle. The reddish-coloured nymphs hatch in April. The adults are sexually dimorphic with the males being darker and with a more elongated appearance. They are typically black with whitish markings, with longer tibia and a distinctive inflated 2nd antennal segment. The females are more oval in shape and basically brown in colour. The pronotum has a pale central line that may also be visible on both the head and the scutellum.

Plagiognathus arbustorum is another common bug that can be found throughout the UK on a range of plants, particularly nettles. Although the ground colour of the species varies from pale olive-green to almost black, the head and front of the pronotum are usually dark, as are the 1st and 2nd antennal segments. The dark margins of the hind femora provide a useful identifying feature as they are also present in late instar nymphs. Adults are normally active from July to October.