''Stenodema pilosa'' is a

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), ...

of plant bug 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 "mirid bugs". Common names include plant bugs, leaf bugs, and g ...

, first described in 1889. It can be found across transcontinental North America Eurasi

Description

Species within the genus ''Stenodema'' are elongate with a longitudinal furrow between the eyes and are best distinguished by the coarsely and densely pitted

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 ...

. ''S. pilosa'' is about 8–9 mm long and has three spurs on the hind femora. This distinguishes it from other closely related species, notably ''S. calcarata'' which has two femoral spurs. There are two generations per year. Adults which have overwintered and mated in the spring are green with an orange-brown hourglass marking down their back, and those born later in the year are beige or tan. Males are often darker than female

Range and habitat

This species has been found across transcontinental North America Eurasia and is commonly observed in grassy fields and wetlands.

Ecology

''Stenodema pilosa'' feeds on grasses such as the Alopecurus pratensis, meadow foxtail,

reed canary grass ''Phalaris arundinacea'', or reed canary grass, is a tall, perennial bunchgrass that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, northern ...

and

common reed ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is a wetland grass that can grow up to tall and has a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide. Description ''Phragmites australis' ...

. They overwinter as adults and emerge in April, and the new generation is complete by August.

Etymology

Formerly treated as a separate species, ''S. trispinosa'' was synomized with ''S. pilosa'' in 2024. The specific name ''trispinosa'' means "three-spined" and refers to the three small spines on its femurs.

References

Hemiptera of Asia Hemiptera of Europe Hemiptera of North America Stenodemini Insects described in 1904 {{Hemiptera-stub