Taylorilygus

Leston, 1952

Taylorilygus plant bugs

Species Guides

Taylorilygus apicalis(Broken-backed Bug)

Taylorilygus is a of plant bugs in the Miridae, containing more than 40 described . The genus belongs to the taxonomically challenging Lygus-complex and has been the subject of molecular phylogenetic studies to clarify its relationships with related genera such as Diomocoris and Micromimetus. Species within this genus exhibit broad geographic distributions, with T. apicalis occurring on every continent except Antarctica and other species concentrated primarily in Africa with scattered occurrences in Asia, Europe, and Australia. At least some species are phytophagous and associated with agricultural systems, including soybean fields.

Taylorilygus apicalis by (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Taylorilygus apicalis P1340808a by
xpda. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Brokenbacked bug (7346192018) by John Tann from Sydney, Australia. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Taylorilygus: //ˈtaɪlərɪˌlaɪɡəs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Taylorilygus are distinguished from related in the Lygus-complex by morphological characters examined in detailed taxonomic studies. Molecular phylogenetic analysis using COI, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA markers has shown that Taylorilygus apicalis is more closely related to Micromimetus species than to Diomocoris nebulosus, supporting the non-monophyly of the broader Lygus-complex. Specific diagnostic morphological features for the genus require examination of genitalic structures and other detailed characters.

Images

Habitat

Agricultural and wildland vegetation; at least some occur in soybean fields and surrounding weed in the Lower Mississippi Delta region. The widespread distribution of T. apicalis across multiple continents suggests adaptability to diverse environments including pine forests, where it has been recorded attacking Pinus species.

Distribution

distribution for T. apicalis, which occurs in Europe (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, former Yugoslavia), Asia (Cyprus, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, Yemen), Africa (Algeria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Madagascar, Morocco, Reunion, South Africa, St Helena, Sudan, Zaire), North America (Mexico, USA), Central America and Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, St Kitts-Nevis), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay), and Oceania (Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands). Most other are African, with a few in Asia, Europe, and Australia.

Diet

Phytophagous; feeds on plant sap. T. pallidulus has been documented feeding on multiple plant including Glycine max (soybean), Ipomoea lacunosa (pitted morningglory), Ipomoea hederacea (ivyleaf morningglory), Sesbania exaltata (hemp sesbania), Amaranthus palmeri (Palmer amaranth), Echinochloa crus-galli (barnyardgrass), Sorghum halepense (Johnsongrass), Digitaria sanguinalis (large crabgrass), Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed), Chenopodium album (common lambsquarters), Helianthus annuus (common sunflower), Hibiscus lasiocarpos (rose mallow), Polygonum pensylvanicum (Pennsylvania smartweed), and Cyperus esculentus (yellow nutsedge). T. apicalis has been recorded attacking Pinus species.

Host Associations

Glycine max - soybean
Ipomoea lacunosa - pitted morningglory
Ipomoea hederacea - ivyleaf morningglory
Sesbania exaltata - hemp sesbania
Amaranthus palmeri - Palmer amaranth
Echinochloa crus-galli - barnyardgrass
Sorghum halepense - Johnsongrass
Digitaria sanguinalis - large crabgrass
Ambrosia artemisiifolia - common ragweed
Chenopodium album - common lambsquarters
Helianthus annuus - common sunflower
Hibiscus lasiocarpos - rose mallow
Polygonum pensylvanicum - Pennsylvania smartweed
Cyperus esculentus - yellow nutsedge
Pinus spp. - pine; recorded for T. apicalis

Ecological Role

herbivore; T. pallidulus feeds on both crop and weed in agricultural systems, suggesting potential as a pest of soybean. The broad range across multiple plant indicates feeding in at least some species.

Human Relevance

Potential agricultural pest; T. pallidulus has been studied in soybean production systems in the Lower Mississippi Delta region of the United States. T. apicalis has been recorded as attacking pine , indicating possible forestry relevance.

Similar Taxa

MicromimetusMolecular phylogenetic analysis places Taylorilygus apicalis closer to Micromimetus than to some other previously grouped within the Lygus-complex; both genera share membership in the non-monophyletic Lygus-complex and require detailed morphological study for differentiation.
DiomocorisFormerly grouped with Taylorilygus in the Lygus-complex; T. nebulosus was transferred to Diomocoris based on morphological study, highlighting historical taxonomic confusion between these .
LygusMember of the same Lygus-complex; Taylorilygus has been taxonomically challenging to distinguish from Lygus and related , requiring molecular and detailed morphological analysis for proper placement.

More Details

Phylogenetic position

Molecular phylogenetic studies using COI, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA markers have demonstrated that the Lygus-complex is non-monophyletic. Taylorilygus apicalis shows closer phylogenetic affinity to Micromimetus than to Diomocoris nebulosus, indicating that previous taxonomic groupings based on did not reflect evolutionary relationships.

Taxonomic history

The Taylorilygus was established by Leston in 1952. -level within the genus remains active, with T. nebulosus transferred to Diomocoris and T. apicalis redescribed based on Australian material in recent studies.