The Miridae are a large and diverse insect family at one time known by the
taxonomic synonym
In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The Botanical nomenclature, botanical and Zoological nomenclature, zoological codes of nomencl ...
Capsidae. Species in the family may be referred to as capsid bugs or "mirid bugs".
Common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...
s include plant bugs, leaf bugs, and grass bugs. It is the largest family of true bugs (suborder
Heteroptera
The Heteroptera are a group of about 40,000 species of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are sometimes called "true bugs", though that name more commonly refers to the Hemiptera as a whole. "Typical bugs" might be used as a more unequivocal al ...
); it includes over 10,000 known species, and new ones are being described constantly. Most widely known mirids are species that are notorious agricultural pests that pierce plant tissues, feed on the sap, and sometimes transmit viral plant diseases. Some species however, are predatory.
Description
Miridae are small, terrestrial insects, usually oval-shaped or elongate and measuring less than in length. Many of them have a hunched look, because of the shape of the
prothorax
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum ( ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ...
, which carries the head bent down. Some are brightly coloured and attractively patterned, others drab or dark, most being inconspicuous. Some genera are ant
mimic
In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...
s at certain stages of life. Miridae do not have any
ocelli
A simple eye or ocellus (sometimes called a pigment pit) is a form of eye or an optical arrangement which has a single lens without the sort of elaborate retina that occurs in most vertebrates. These eyes are called "simple" to distinguish the ...
. Their rostrum has four segments. One useful feature in identifying members of the family is the presence of a
cuneus
The cuneus (; : cunei) is a smaller lobe in the occipital lobe of the brain. The cuneus is bounded anteriorly by the parieto-occipital sulcus and Inferior (anatomy), inferiorly by the calcarine sulcus.
Function
The cuneus (Brodmann area 17) r ...
; it is the triangular tip of the
corium, the firm,
sclerotized
Sclerosis (also sclerosus in the Latin names of a few disorders) is a hardening of tissue and other anatomical features. It may refer to:
* Sclerosis (medicine), a hardening of tissue
* in zoology, a process which forms sclerites, a hardened exo ...
part of the forewing, the
hemelytron
An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...
. The cuneus is visible in nearly all Miridae, and only in a few other
Hemiptera
Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from ...
, notably the family
Anthocoridae
Anthocoridae is a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. Worldwide there are 500-600 species.
Description
Anthocoridae are 1.5–5 mm long and have soft, elongated oval, flat bodies, often patterned in black an ...
, which are not much like the Miridae in other ways. The
tarsi almost always have three segments.
Some mirid species
*
Lygus bugs (''Lygus'' spp.), including the tarnished and western tarnished plant bugs, are serious pests in the
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
,
strawberry
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...
, and
alfalfa
Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...
industries.
* ''
Stenotus binotatus
''Stenotus binotatus'' is a species of plant bug, originally from Europe, but now also established across North America and New Zealand. It is long, yellowish, with darker markings on the pronotum and forewings. It feeds on various grasses, and ...
'', a minor pest of cereal crops, especially
wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
* Apple dimpling bug (''
Campylomma
''Campylomma'' is a genus of bugs in the family Miridae and tribe Nasocorini.Henry TJ, Froeschner RC (1988). ''Catalog of the Heteroptera, True Bugs of Canada and the Continental United States''. Brill Academic Publishers.
Species
The following ...
liebknechti'') damages
apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
blossoms and small growing fruits.
*
Mosquito bug
The genus (biology), genus ''Helopeltis'', also sometimes known as mosquito bugs, is a group of Heteroptera, heteropterans in the family Miridae (capsid bugs) and tribe Dicyphini. They include pest (organism), pests of various crops, including The ...
s ''
Helopeltis
The genus ''Helopeltis'', also sometimes known as mosquito bugs, is a group of heteropterans in the family Miridae (capsid bugs) and tribe Dicyphini. They include pests of various crops, including cacao, cashew, cotton and tea. Now in a differe ...
'' and ''
Afropeltis
The genus ''Helopeltis'', also sometimes known as mosquito bugs, is a group of heteropterans in the family Miridae (capsid bugs) and tribe Dicyphini. They include pests of various crops, including cacao, cashew, cotton and tea. Now in a differen ...
'' spp. – that infest various crops including
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
,
cacao and
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
*
Honeylocust plant bug
''Blepharidopterus chlorionis'', known commonly as the honeylocust plant bug and under the synonym ''Diaphnocoris chlorionis'', is a hemipteran in the family Miridae. They are a major pest of the honey locust tree (''Gleditsia triacanthos''), a d ...
(''Diaphnocoris chlorionis'') damages foliage on
honeylocust trees.

*
Green mirid (''Creontiades dilutus'') damages many types of field crops.
*
Potato capsid (''Closterotomus norwegicus'') is a noted pest of
potato
The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
and
clover
Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...
plants in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
* ''
Deraeocoris nebulosus'' prefers other insects to plants in its diet, and has been used as a
biocontrol agent
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or ot ...
against
mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...
s and
scale insect
Scale insects are small insects of the Order (biology), order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient g ...
s.
* ''
Dicyphus hesperus
''Dicyphus hesperus'' is a species of true bug in the family Miridae. It is a generalist predator of other insects and also feeds on plant tissues. It is native to North America and has been used there in biological control of agricultural pests, ...
'' sucks sap from various plants and preys on
whitefly
Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described.
Description and taxonomy
The A ...
and
red spider mites and can be used in biological pest control.
Systematics
This family includes a large number of
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
, many of which are still unknown, distributed in more than 1,300 genera. The taxonomic tree includes the following subfamilies and numerous tribes:
*
Bryocorinae
''Bryocorinae'' is a subfamily of bugs in the family Miridae.
Tribes and genera
''BioLib''BioLib.cz
Bryocorinae Baerensp ...
**
Bryocorini
''Bryocorinae'' is a subfamily of true bug, bugs in the family Miridae.
Tribes and genera
''BioLib''BioLib.cz
Bryocorinae ...
**
Dicyphini
''Dicyphini'' is a tribe of Heteroptera, bugs in the family Miridae.
Subtribes and Genera
The ''On-line Systematic Catalogue of Plant Bugs'' includes: Subtribe Dicyphina
* ''Campyloneura'' Fieber, 1861
* ''Campyloneuropsis'' Poppius, 1914
* ''C ...
**
Eccritotarsini
Eccritotarsini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are about 14 genera and at least 40 described species in Eccritotarsini.
Genera
These 14 genera belong to the tribe Eccritotarsini:
* ''Aguayomiris'' Maldonado Caprilles, 198 ...
*
Cylapinae
Cylapinae is a subfamily of plant bugs. Bugs in this group tend to forage actively on fungus covered rotten logs in humid tropical forests.
Overview of genera
* '' Adcylapocoris''
* '' Afrobothriomiris''
* '' Afrofulvius''
* '' Afrovannius'' ...
**
Cylapini
**
Fulviini
*
Deraeocorinae
Deraeocorinae is a subfamily of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are more than 40 genera and around 500 described species in Deraeocorinae.
Genera
These 41 genera belong to the subfamily Deraeocorinae:
* ''Acutifromiris'' Hernandez & St ...
[
** Clivinematini
** ]Deraeocorini
Deraeocorini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are at least 19 genera and more than 340 described species in Deraeocorini.
Genera
These 19 genera belong to the tribe Deraeocorini:
* ''Acutifromiris'' Hernandez & Stonedahl, ...
** Hyaliodini
** Saturniomirini
** Surinamellini
** Termatophylini
* Isometopinae
Isometopinae is a subfamily of jumping tree bugs in the family Miridae
The Miridae are a large and diverse insect family at one time known by the Synonym (taxonomy), taxonomic synonym Capsidae. Species in the family may be referred to as caps ...
** Diphlebini
** Isometopini
* Mirinae
Mirinae is a subfamily of plant bugs, insects in the family Miridae.
Tribes
* Herdoniini
* Hyalopeplini
* Mecistoscelini
* Mirini
* Restheniini
* Scutelliferini
* Stenodemini
References
Mirini,
Hemiptera subfamilies
{{Miridae-st ...
** Herdoniini
Herdoniini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae
The Miridae are a large and diverse insect family at one time known by the Synonym (taxonomy), taxonomic synonym Capsidae. Species in the family may be referred to as capsid bugs or "m ...
** Hyalopeplini
** Mirini
Mirini is a tribe of plant bugs belonging to the subfamily Mirinae.
Genera
'' Acanthocranella'' - '' Acanthopeplus'' - '' Actinonotus'' - '' Adelphocoridea'' - '' Adelphocoris'' - '' Adelphocorisella'' - '' Adnotholopus'' - '' Adphytocoris'' ...
** Pithanini
** Restheniini
Restheniini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are at least 4 genera and 30 described species in Restheniini.
Genera
These four genera belong to the tribe Restheniini:
* ''Oncerometopus'' Reuter, 1876
* ''Opistheurista'' Carv ...
** Stenodemini
Stenodemini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are more than 60 described species in Stenodemini.
Genera
''BioLib'' includes:
# ''Acetropis'' Fieber, 1858
# ''Acomocera'' Eyles, 1975
# ''Actinocoris'' Reuter, 1878
# ''Astelia ...
* Orthotylinae
** Ceratocapsini
Ceratocapsini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are about 7 genera and at least 80 described species in Ceratocapsini.
Genera
These seven genera belong to the tribe Ceratocapsini:
* '' Ceratocapsus'' Reuter, 1876
* '' Pamill ...
** Halticini
Halticini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae.
Genera
''BioLib'' includes the following:
# ''Acratheus'' Distant, 1910
# ''Anapomella'' V.G. Putshkov, 1961
# ''Anapus'' Stål, 1858
# ''Barbarosia'' Kiyak, 1995
# ''Chorosomella'' Horv ...
** Orthotylini
Orthotylini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are more than 230 described genera in Orthotylini.
Selected genera
The following genera belong to the tribe Orthotylini:
* ''Acaciacoris'' Schaffner, 1977
* ''Aoplonema'' Knight, ...
* Phylinae
Phylinae is a subfamily of the plant bug family Miridae. Species of this family are found worldwide.
In research published in 2013, the subfamily Phylinae was reorganized. The tribe Auricillocorini is now considered a synonym of Hallodapini, an ...
** Hallodapini
Hallodapini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are more than 50 genera in Hallodapini.
Most species of this tribe are found in the old world, including Australia. Only one genus, Cyrtopeltocoris, is found in North America.
G ...
** Leucophoropterini
Leucophoropterini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are more than 20 genera and over 100 species in Leucophoropterini. Most species of this tribe are found in eastern Asia and Australia, with a single genus, ''Tuxedo'', found ...
** Phylini
Phylini is a tribe of plant bugs in the family Miridae, based on the type genus ''Phylus''. There are at least 440 described species in Phylini.
Subtribes and selected genera
* Full list of Phylini genera here Keltoniina
Auth. Schuh & Menard, 2 ...
** Pilophorini
Pilophorini is a tribe (biology), tribe of Miridae, plant bugs. The type genus is ''Pilophorus'' (Hahn, 1826). Schuh's analysis indicates that the Pilophorini originated in tropical Gondwanaland and subsequently spread into the temperate Northern ...
Psallopinae
Auth.: Schuh, 1976
# '' Isometopsallops'' Herczek & Popov, 1992
# '' Psallops'' Usinger, 1946
# †'' Cylapopsallops'' Popov & Herczek, 2006
# †'' Epigonopsallops'' Herczek & Popov, 2009
Genera ''
Incertae sedis
or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...
''
''BioLib'' includes:
# '' Amulacoris'' Carvalho & China, 1959
# '' Anniessa'' Kirkaldy, 1903
# '' Auchus'' Distant, 1893
# '' Bahiarmiris'' Carvalho, 1977
# '' Brasiliocarnus'' Kerzhner & Schuh, 1995
# '' Carmelinus'' Carvalho & Gomes, 1972
# '' Carmelus'' Drake & Harris, 1932
# '' Chaetophylidea'' Knight, 1968
# '' Charitides'' Kerzhner, 1962
# '' Colimacoris'' Schaffner & Carvalho, 1985
# '' Cylapocerus'' Carvalho & Fontes, 1968
# '' Dimorphocoris'' Reuter, 1890
# '' Duckecylapus'' Carvalho, 1982
# '' Englemania'' Carvalho, 1985
# '' Eurycipitia'' Reuter, 1905
# '' Faliscomiris'' Kerzhner & Schuh, 1998
# '' Fuscus'' Distant, 1884
# '' Guerrerocoris'' Carvalho & China, 1959
# ''Gunhadya'' - monotypic '' Gunhadya rubrofasciata'' Distant, 1920
# '' Heterocoris'' Guérin-Ménéville in Sagra, 1857
# '' Knightocoris'' Carvalho & China, 1951
# '' Leonomiris'' Kerzhner & Schuh, 1998
# '' Macrotyloides'' Van Duzee, 1916
# '' Merinocapsus'' Knight, 1968
# '' Mircarvalhoia'' Kerzhner & Schuh, 1998
# '' Montagneria'' Akingbohungbe, 1978
# '' Muirmiris'' Carvalho, 1983
# '' Myochroocoris'' Reuter, 1909
# '' Nesosylphas'' Kirkaldy, 1908
# '' Notolobus'' Reuter, 1908
# '' Nymannus'' Distant, 1904
# '' Paracoriscus'' Kerzhner & Schuh, 1998
# '' Paraguayna'' Carvalho, 1986
# '' Prodomopsis'' TBD
# '' Prodomus'' TBD
# '' Pseudobryocoris'' Distant, 1884
# '' Pygophorisca'' Carvalho & Wallerstein, 1978
# '' Rayeria'' TBD
# '' Rewafulvia'' Carvalho, 1972
# '' Rhynacloa'' Reuter
# '' Rondonisca'' Carvalho & Costa, 1994
# '' Rondonoides'' Carvalho & Costa, 1994
# '' Rondonotylus'' Carvalho & Costa, 1994
# '' Spanogonicus'' Berg
# '' Sthenaridia'' TBD
# ''Zoilus
Zoilus ( ''Zoilos''; c. 400320 BC) was a Greek grammarian and literary critic from Amphipolis in Eastern Macedonia, then known as Thrace. He took the name Homeromastix (Ὁμηρομάστιξ "Homer whipper"; ''gen''.: Ὁμηρομάστιγ ...
'' Distant, 1884
References
Further reading
*
*
Google books preview
External links
PBI Plant Bug Index
Link to Al Wheeler's book on the biology of mirids
Research on mirids of Southern California at UC Riverside
on the University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
/ Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes ca ...
''Featured Creatures'' website
{{Authority control
Heteroptera families
Articles containing video clips
Taxa named by Carl Wilhelm Hahn