Heteroptera - Miridae

Order Heteroptera, family Miridae

Leaf bugs and grass bugs.

Cambridge 22 Jun 2002
Subfamily: Mirinae. Tribe: Mirini
There are many greenish mirids - this one has red-brown markings, and two small black marks on the pronotum (see enlargement)
"In most parts of the British Isles this bug is common on mixed herbage in hedgerows, at the margins of woods or rivers and in neglected pastures and gardens. It feeds on the growing points, buds, flowers and unripe fruits, of a large range of plants, especially nettles, composites (including scentless mayweed, mugwort, ragwort and thistles) and clovers. Sometimes it is a minor pest of potatoes, carrots or chrysanthemums."
- Southwood & Leston
- Also, apparently, (when it can get it!) Cannabis (McPartland, 1996)
Larger scale image

Cambridge 8 Jul 2001
Subfamily: Deraeocorinae. Tribe: Deraeocorini
Length: 7mm
"Common in southern England & Wales. Larvae and adults feed on small insects, especially aphids; they are found on many plants and bushes, particularly nettles. The amount of black and red colouring in the adults varies greatly but the males are normally much the darker sex."
- Southwood & Leston

Cambridge, old St Ives Railway TL462615, 11 Jul 2002
Subfamily: Orthotylinae. Tribe: Orthotylini
Length: 5mm (not including the antennae)
"In southern England it is abundant on rank vegetation, especially nettles, and on various shrubs and trees. The young red larvae hatch from the overwintered eggs at the end of May or in early June; the majority reach the adult stage during the last half of July and some adults have been found as late as October. Both larvae and adults are predatory on aphids and other small insects, besides feeding on buds and unripe fruits of various plants."
- Southwood & Leston
Distinctive with its thickened antennae extended forward

Cambridge 23 Jun 2001
Subfamily: Mirinae. Tribe: Mirini
Length: 4.5mm
"This bug is found on nettles throughout the British Isles. Adults of both sexes overwinter but the males become scarce by early June, when oviposition starts. All stages are plant feeders and attack buds, stems and especially flowers and fruits of nettle. Young adults are light yellow-brown but after hibernation a deep chocolate colour, with the yellow spots now orange."
- Southwood & Leston

Cambridge 16 Jun 2001
Subfamily: Mirinae. Tribe: Mirini
Length: 6mm
"Found commonly and abundantly throughout the British Isles this bug has two generations a year and two groups of host-plants: woody plants in which the egg overwinters and on which the young spring larvae feed for a short time, and herbaceous plants where most of the development occurs. Woody hosts include hawthorn, apple, currant, plum, cherry and lime; the herbaceous ones include nettle, creeping thistle, groundsel, dandelion, black nightshade, potato, bittersweet, white deadnettle, sunflower, dock, fat hen, meadowsweet, rosebay willow-herb and common cow-wheat; plants such as raspberry, rose and elder may serve as hosts throughout the year.
L. pabulinus is often a pest. The young larvae of the first generation damage currants, plums, apples, gooseberries and pears, their feeding punctures producing brown spots which form holes as the leaves grow or blemishes on the fruit, especially of gooseberry and pear. The later stages of the first generation and all stages of the second attack blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, potatoes and sugar-beet."
- Southwood & Leston

Cambridge 25 May 2001
Subfamily: Mirinae. Tribe: Stenodemini
Length: 8.5mm
"Larvae and adults feed on various grasses, particularly meadow foxtail, timothy, red fescue, common bent and wavy hair-grass; they are especially fond of the flowering heads, sucking the flower buds and unripe grains. There is one generation a year; the larvae become adult in late July or August."
- Southwood & Leston

Cambridge 22 Jul 2002
Subfamily: Dicyphinae.
Distinguished by the yellow cunei - the tips of the hardened portion of the forewings.
"This species is found throughout the British Isles on a wide variety of trees, especially hawthorn, hazel and oak; the male is very rare and the species is perhaps usually parthenogenetic. Predacious."
- Southwood & Leston