''Temnostethus gracilis'' is a species of

minute pirate bug Anthocoridae is a family of Hemiptera, 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 i ...

in 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 ...

. It is found in Europe and across the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

to the Caucasus and Siberia (excluding China) and North America. ''Temnostethus gracilis'' lives on the bark of various deciduous trees, both those densely covered with lichens and mosses, and on those that are quite smooth, such as ( ''

Fagus sylvatica ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the Fagaceae, beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' i ...

'' ), common ash (''

Fraxinus excelsior ''Fraxinus excelsior'', known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus and Alb ...

'' ) or aspens (''

Populus tremula ''Populus tremula'' (commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen) is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of the Old World. Description It is a substantial deciduous tree growing to t ...

'' ). They are predatory on

aphids Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

Psylloidea Psylloidea is a Taxonomic rank, superfamily of Hemiptera, true bugs, including the jumping plant louse, jumping plant lice and others which have recently been classified as distinct families. Though the group first appeared during the Early Jura ...

Psocoptera Psocoptera () are a paraphyletic group of insects that are commonly known as booklice, barklice or barkflies. The name Psocoptera has been replaced with Psocodea in recent literature, with the inclusion of the former order Phthiraptera into Psoc ...

and

mites 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 ...

, but also on other small arthropods.

References

External links

* Hemiptera of Europe Anthocorini Articles created by Qbugbot Insects described in 1907 Taxa named by Géza Horváth {{cimicomorpha-stub

References

Further reading

External links