Mirid Bugs & Allies
What are they?
Mirid Bugs and similar bugs are a large and diverse group of mostly rather small Hemipteran bugs. Most species feed on sap from plant stems and are frequently considered pests in gardens. Some species have a number of generations a year, while others just have just one. The females of most species lay eggs in small grooves made in plant stems.
Identification
Mirids can be told from other Hemiptern bugs by a crease across the wing which forms a distinct triangle toward the tip. Identifying species can be difficult, but identifying individuals to genus is not too hard. This is a large family and a lot of species are small, making determination of identification features difficult. With such a large group, just about every feature can be useful in identification. Overall color and markings, shape, and details of leg and wing structure are all important.
Clouded Plant Bug Neurocolpus nubilus
A rather dark species and variable in coloring, but usually has a reddish-brown and black tone to the wings. Antennae are distinctly hairy on the segment nearest to the head.
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Two-spotted Grass Bug Stenotus binotatus
Introduced from Europe. A colorful bug of open, grassy places, the amount of black on the wing cases is very variable, but the pattern is fairly constant and should make identification relatively straight forward.
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Stenodema trispinosum
A pale, straw-colored species that can be very hard to spot in grassy places. Body relatively long and narrow. This species can be told from other members of the genus Stenodema by the three spines on the tibia of the hindleg.
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Ozophora picturata
A dull brown member of the family Rhyparochromidae, a group often known as Dirt-colored Seed Bugs. Though rather drab-looking, this species has fairly distinctive blackish markings on the wing coverts and antennae.
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