Miridae
Guides
Phytocoris tuberculatus
A small mirid plant bug described by Knight in 1920, known from limited records in the eastern United States. Belongs to the genus Phytocoris, a diverse group of plant bugs characterized by their slender bodies and often cryptic coloration. Specific details of its biology remain poorly documented due to its apparent rarity and limited collection records.
Phytocoris uniformis
Phytocoris uniformis is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Knight in 1923. It is known from the eastern United States, with records from Georgia, New York, Massachusetts, and West Virginia. As a member of the genus Phytocoris, it belongs to a diverse group of mirid bugs commonly associated with vegetation. The specific epithet "uniformis" suggests a relatively uniform coloration compared to related species.
Phytocoris unnamed-a
A plant bug species in the family Miridae, belonging to the large and diverse genus Phytocoris. Members of this genus are typically small, soft-bodied insects associated with vegetation. The specific epithet "unnamed-a" indicates this is an undescribed or provisional species designation, likely used in collections or databases pending formal taxonomic description.
Phytocoris unnamed-c
Phytocoris unnamed-c is an undescribed species of plant bug in the family Miridae. It belongs to a large genus of mostly plant-feeding true bugs. Like other members of the genus, it has been observed visiting blacklights at night. The species designation "unnamed-c" indicates it has been recognized as distinct but not yet formally described in the scientific literature.
Phytocoris vanduzeei
Phytocoris vanduzeei is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Reuter in 1912. The species occurs in western North America and Middle America, with records from the southwestern United States (California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico) and Mexico including Baja California. As a member of the genus Phytocoris, it is likely associated with vegetation where it feeds on plant sap, though specific host plants and detailed biology remain poorly documented.
Phytocoris varipes
long-legged plant bug
Phytocoris varipes is a plant bug in the family Miridae, characterized by pinkish-brown to red-brown coloration with longitudinal markings on the upper surface. Adults and nymphs inhabit herbaceous plants and grasses, feeding primarily on flowers and immature fruits. The species has a broad distribution across Europe, extending east to the Caucasus and Iran, with an introduced population in Oregon, USA. Adults are active from June through October, with mating and oviposition occurring in mid-summer.
Phytocoris vau
Phytocoris vau is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Van Duzee in 1912. The species occurs in western North America and Middle America, with documented records from California and Baja California Norte. As a member of the genus Phytocoris, it belongs to a diverse group of mirid bugs that are primarily associated with vegetation.
Phytocoris ventralis
Phytocoris ventralis is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Van Duzee in 1918. It belongs to a large genus of predatory and plant-feeding true bugs. The species is documented from the southwestern United States, with records from California and Nevada.
Phytocoris venustus
Phytocoris venustus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Knight in 1923. It belongs to the genus Phytocoris, a diverse group of mirid bugs commonly associated with vegetation. The species is recorded from the eastern and southeastern United States. Like other members of its genus, it is likely associated with woody or herbaceous plants, though specific host relationships remain poorly documented.
Pilophorini
Pilophorini is a tribe of plant bugs (Miridae: Phylinae) comprising approximately 15 genera distributed across tropical and temperate regions. The group exhibits pronounced ant-mimicry (myrmecomorphy) in many species, particularly within the type genus Pilophorus. Phylogenetic analysis indicates a tropical Gondwanan origin with subsequent radiation into the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Members of this tribe show diverse feeding strategies, including herbivory on mistletoes (Loranthaceae, Santalales) and predatory behavior.
Pilophoropsidea
Pilophoropsidea is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, established by Henry in 2015. Members of this genus belong to the subfamily Phylinae, a diverse group of predominantly small, often cryptically colored bugs. The genus is characterized by morphological features related to the pilose (hairy) structure of the body, as suggested by its name. It is a relatively recently described taxon with limited published information available.
Pilophoropsis
Pilophoropsis is a genus of plant bugs (family Miridae) established by Poppius in 1914. The genus contains seven described species, with most described relatively recently (2015) and one dating to 1927. Species occur in North America, with records from the United States including Texas and California.
Pilophoropsis brachyptera
Pilophoropsis brachyptera is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Steyskal in 1973. The specific epithet "brachyptera" refers to short wings, a characteristic feature of this species. It belongs to the genus Pilophoropsis, which contains species known for their distinctive morphological adaptations. Very little published information exists on the biology and ecology of this particular species.
Pilophorus amoenus
plant bug
Pilophorus amoenus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae. It is found in North America, with records from the eastern United States including Maryland, Minnesota, and West Virginia. The genus Pilophorus is known for ant-mimicking species that possess distinctive morphological adaptations.
Pilophorus brunneus
Pilophorus brunneus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Poppius in 1914. It belongs to a genus known for ant-mimicking morphology. The species has been documented in the eastern United States, with specific records from Louisiana, Maryland, and West Virginia. Like other members of Pilophorus, it likely exhibits morphological adaptations that resemble ants, a trait common in this genus.
Pilophorus clavicornis
Pilophorus clavicornis is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Poppius in 1914. It is known from arid regions of western North America, with records from Arizona, California, and Nevada. The species belongs to a genus noted for ant-mimicking morphology and behavior.
Pilophorus crassipes
Pilophorus crassipes is a plant bug species in the family Miridae, described by Heidemann in 1892. It occurs in eastern North America and Central America. The genus Pilophorus includes species known for ant-mimicking appearance, though specific traits for P. crassipes are not well documented in available sources.
Pilophorus furvus
Pilophorus furvus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Knight in 1923. The species is known from eastern North America, with records from Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. Like other members of the genus Pilophorus, it exhibits ant-mimicking morphology. The species has been documented in iNaturalist with limited observations.
Pilophorus heidemanni
Pilophorus heidemanni is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Poppius in 1914. It belongs to a genus known for ant-mimicking morphology. The species has been recorded from the southeastern United States. Like other members of Pilophorus, it likely exhibits morphological adaptations that resemble ants, though specific details for this species are limited.
Pilophorus juniperi
Pilophorus juniperi is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Knight in 1923. It belongs to a genus known for ant-mimicking morphology and behavior. The species has been documented in eastern and northeastern United States, with specific records from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Pilophorus piceicola
Pilophorus piceicola is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Knight in 1926. It is native to North America, with records from the northeastern United States including New York and West Virginia. Like other members of the genus Pilophorus, it exhibits ant-mimicking morphology. The species is poorly documented in scientific literature beyond taxonomic descriptions and basic distribution records.
Pilophorus tibialis
Pilophorus tibialis is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Van Duzee in 1918. It belongs to the genus Pilophorus, which is noted for ant-mimicking species that exhibit morphological and behavioral adaptations resembling ants. The species has been documented in western North America and Mexico.
Pilophorus walshii
Pilophorus walshii is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Uhler in 1887. The species is known from eastern North America, with records from Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. It has been documented feeding on Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) foliage. The species has been the subject of life history studies combining field observations with laboratory rearing.
Pinalitus
Pinalitus is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, established by Kelton in 1955. The genus contains approximately six described species. At least one species, Pinalitus atomarius, is known to be phytophagous and associated with conifers, particularly silver fir (Abies alba).
Pinalitus approximatus
Pinalitus approximatus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, originally described as Deraeocoris approximatus by Stål in 1858. It occurs in North America, with documented records from Alaska, Newfoundland, and West Virginia. As a member of the plant bug family, it likely feeds on plant sap, though specific host associations remain poorly documented.
Pinalitus rubrotinctus
Pinalitus rubrotinctus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Knight in 1968. It belongs to a genus of mirid bugs associated with coniferous vegetation. The species is known from the southwestern United States.
Pithanus maerkelii
Pithanus maerkelii is a plant bug in the family Miridae. It is native to Europe and the Palearctic, with an introduced population in North America. The species feeds on grasses, sedges, and rushes, using piercing-sucking mouthparts to extract fluids from stems and reproductive structures.
Plagiognathus
Plagiognathus is a large genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, comprising over 120 described species. Members are commonly known as jumping tree bugs or plant bugs. The genus exhibits diverse host associations with various flowering plants, including agricultural crops and endemic wild species. Individual species show specialized relationships with particular host plants, though broader patterns across the genus remain incompletely documented.
Plagiognathus arbustorum
Common Nettle Flower Bug
Plagiognathus arbustorum is a small plant bug in the family Miridae, commonly known as the Common Nettle Flower Bug. It is a widespread species found across the Nearctic and Palearctic realms, including most of Europe, Siberia, Central Asia, and parts of North America. Adults are active from July to October and are polyphagous, feeding primarily on herbaceous plants across multiple families.
Plagiognathus brevirostris
Plagiognathus brevirostris is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Knight in 1923. It belongs to the diverse genus Plagiognathus, which contains numerous small mirid species associated with vegetation. The species is recorded from northeastern North America.
Plagiognathus chrysanthemi
trefoil plant bug
Plagiognathus chrysanthemi, commonly known as the trefoil plant bug, is a small mirid bug native to the Palearctic region that has become established in North America as an adventive species. It is highly polyphagous, feeding on herbaceous plants across multiple families, with documented damage to agricultural crops including birdsfoot trefoil. The species has been identified as a pest of forage legumes in Ontario, Canada.
Plagiognathus delicatus
Plagiognathus delicatus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Uhler in 1887. It belongs to the genus Plagiognathus, a diverse group of mirids commonly associated with vegetation. The species is documented in eastern North America with scattered records from the Midwest. Like other members of its family, it possesses piercing-sucking mouthparts.
Plagiognathus longirostris
Plagiognathus longirostris is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae. It was described by Knight in 1923. The species is known from North America, with records from the northeastern United States and parts of Canada.
Plagiognathus modestus
Plagiognathus modestus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Reuter in 1912. It is distributed across North America, with records from Canada and multiple U.S. states including Georgia, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Like other members of its genus, it belongs to the diverse assemblage of mirid plant bugs that inhabit various terrestrial environments.
Plagiognathus phaceliae
Plagiognathus phaceliae is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Schuh in 2001. The species name 'phaceliae' indicates an association with plants in the genus Phacelia. It is known from California, USA. As a member of the large genus Plagiognathus, it belongs to a diverse group of small plant-feeding true bugs.
Plagiognathus politus
Plagiognathus politus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae. The species was described by Uhler in 1895 and includes two recognized subspecies: P. p. flaveolus and the nominate P. p. politus. It is distributed across North America, with records from the northeastern United States and Canada extending west to Colorado. As a member of Miridae, it belongs to one of the largest families of true bugs, commonly known as plant bugs or leaf bugs.
Plagiognathus shoshonea
Plagiognathus shoshonea is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Knight in 1964. It occurs across western North America from Canada to the southwestern United States. The species is one of numerous small mirid bugs in the genus Plagiognathus, which are generally associated with vegetation.
Plagiognathus syrticolae
Plagiognathus syrticolae is a small plant bug (Miridae) described by H.H. Knight in 1941. It is strongly associated with dune willow (Salix syrticola) and appears restricted to sandy dune habitats in the northeastern and midwestern United States. The species has been suggested to be monophagous on its host willow.
Plagiognathus tumidifrons
Plagiognathus tumidifrons is a small plant bug species in the family Miridae, first described by Knight in 1923 under the basionym Microphylellus tumidifrons. It is distributed across eastern and central North America, with records spanning much of Canada and the northeastern and north-central United States. Like other members of its genus, it belongs to the diverse mirid fauna associated with vegetation, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Plagiognathus verticalis
Plagiognathus verticalis is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Uhler in 1894 under the basionym Macrotylus verticalis. The species is distributed across western North America from the Pacific states to the Intermountain West, with records extending into Baja California. As a member of the diverse genus Plagiognathus, it belongs to a group of small, often plant-associated true bugs, though specific ecological details for this species remain limited in the available literature.
Plesiodema
Plesiodema is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, established by Reuter in 1875. Species in this genus are associated with coniferous habitats, particularly pine and spruce. The genus contains eight described species distributed across Europe and North America.
Poecilocapsus nigriger
Poecilocapsus nigriger is a plant bug species in the family Miridae, native to North and Central America. It is closely related to the fourlined plant bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus), a well-documented pest of ornamental plants and vegetables. As a member of the Hemiptera, it possesses piercing-sucking mouthparts used to extract plant fluids. Specific ecological details for P. nigriger remain sparse in published literature, with most research attention focused on its congener P. lineatus.
Polymerus
Polymerus is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, containing at least 100 described species. The genus was established by Hahn in 1831 and has been subject to extensive taxonomic revision, particularly for Eastern Hemisphere species. Species occur across the Holarctic region, with records from Europe, North America, Africa, India, Australia, and Madagascar. The genus includes subgenera Polymerus and Pachycentrum, with some species previously assigned to Polymerus now transferred to other genera such as Dichelocentrum and Charagochilus.
Polymerus americanus
Polymerus americanus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Reuter in 1876. It is a true bug (Heteroptera) within the order Hemiptera. The species has been the subject of a dedicated study examining its distribution, host plant associations, and seasonal activity patterns, though specific details from that work are not fully accessible in the provided sources.
Polymerus basalis
red-spotted aster mirid
Polymerus basalis is a plant bug in the family Miridae, commonly known as the red-spotted aster mirid. The species occurs across Central America and North America, with records from the United States (including Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and West Virginia), Mexico, and Brazil. It inhabits agricultural fields and adjacent habitats, particularly in the Delta region of the lower Mississippi River valley. Two subspecies are recognized: Polymerus basalis basalis and Polymerus basalis fuscatus.
Polymerus fulvipes
Polymerus fulvipes is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described by Knight in 1923. It is known from eastern North America, with records from West Virginia. As a member of the large genus Polymerus, it shares the general characteristics of mirid plant bugs but specific details about its biology remain poorly documented.
Polymerus opacus
Polymerus opacus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Knight in 1923. It is recorded from northeastern North America, with specific observations from Vermont and other parts of the United States. As a member of the plant bug family, it belongs to a diverse group of phytophagous true bugs, though detailed biological information for this particular species remains limited.
Polymerus proximus
Polymerus proximus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, described by Knight in 1923. It belongs to the large and diverse mirid fauna of North America. Like other members of its genus, it is a small, soft-bodied true bug with piercing-sucking mouthparts. The species has been documented from several states in the eastern and central United States.
Polymerus testaceipes
Polymerus testaceipes is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae. It has been documented across a broad geographic range spanning the Caribbean, Central America, North America, and South America. The species was first described by Stål in 1860. Available records indicate presence in countries including Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Surinam, and the United States (Florida), with 51 observations recorded on iNaturalist.
Porpomiris
Porpomiris is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, established by Berg in 1883. The genus contains at least three described species: Porpomiris campinensis, Porpomiris curtulus, and Porpomiris picturatus. One species, P. curtulus, has been documented as a specialist on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), indicating the genus may include grass-associated species.