Miridae

Miridae
The Miridae are a large and diverse insect family at one time known by the 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 grass bugs. It is the largest family of true bugs belonging to the suborder Heteroptera; 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, which carries the head bent down. Some are brightly coloured and attractively patterned, others drab or dark, most being inconspicuous. Some genera are ant mimics at certain stages of life. Miridae do not have any ocelli. Their rostrum has four segments. One useful feature in identifying members of the family is the presence of a cuneus; it is the triangular tip of the corium, the firm, sclerotized part of the forewing, the hemelytron. The cuneus is visible in nearly all Miridae, and only in a few other Hemiptera, notably the family Anthocoridae, 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, strawberry, and alfalfa industries.
Stenotus binotatus, a minor pest of cereal crops, especially wheat
Apple dimpling bug (Campylomma liebknechti) damages apple blossoms and small growing fruits.
Mosquito bugs Helopeltis and Afropeltis spp. – that infest various crops including tea, cacao and cotton
Honeylocust plant bug (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 and clover plants in New Zealand.
Deraeocoris nebulosus prefers other insects to plants in its diet, and has been used as a biocontrol agent against mites and scale insects.
Dicyphus hesperus sucks sap from various plants and preys on whitefly and red spider mites and can be used in biological pest control.
Systematics
This family includes a large number of species, many of which are still unknown, distributed in more than 1300 genera. The taxonomic tree includes the following subfamilies and numerous tribes:
Bryocorinae
Bryocorini
Dicyphini
Eccritotarsini
Cylapinae
Cylapini
Fulviini
Deraeocorinae
Clivinematini
Deraeocorini
Hyaliodini
Saturniomirini
Surinamellini
Termatophylini
Isometopinae
Diphlebini
Isometopini
Mirinae
Herdoniini
Hyalopeplini
Mirini
Pithanini
Restheniini
Stenodemini
Orthotylinae
Ceratocapsini
Halticini
Orthotylini
Phylinae
Hallodapini
Leucophoropterini
Phylini
Pilophorini
Psallopinae
Auth.: Schuh, 1976
Isometopsallops Herczek & Popov, 1992
Psallops Usinger, 1946
†Cylapopsallops Popov & Herczek, 2006
†Epigonopsallops Herczek & Popov, 2009
Genera Incertae sedis
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
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 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
Garden fleahopper on the University of Florida / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Featured Creatures website
Heteroptera families
Articles containing video clips
Taxa named by Carl Wilhelm Hahn