Review of 2019 and 2020 - Bugs: Plant bugs - part 2: Mirini I (Agnocoris to Orthops)

PLANT BUGS (MIRIDAE) (continued)


Tribe MIRINI


Lucerne Bug Adelphocoris lineolatus - None.  I caught this species here in 2016 but not since.


Agnocoris reclairei - My first example of this species was beaten from the White Willow at the Cathedral Meadows on 3rd August 2019.

Agnocoris reclairei, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd August 2019

Apolygus lucorum - None.  I found this species at the meadows in 2018.


Apolygus spinolae - Found in the garden moth trap on 16th and 19th August 2020, the first times I've recorded this species.

Apolygus spinolae, North Elmham, 16th August 2020

Apolygus spinolae, North Elmham, 19th August 2020

Potato Capsid Closterotomus norwegicus - One found at the Cathedral Meadows on 13th July 2019.  Nymphs found there on Ox-eye Daisy flowers on 1st and 3rd June 2020 look very much like online photos of nymphs of this species but I'm not clear if other similar species might be similar at this stage.  Advice welcome, but in the meantime I won't record these in case there's a possibility they could be something else.

Closterotomus norwegicus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th July 2019

possible/probable Closterotomus norwegicus nymph, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June 2020

Liocoris tripustulatus - Recorded at the meadows on 8th April and 29th July 2019 and 5th September 2020.  One found at home (indoors) on 29th August 2020 was the first I've identified here since 2017.

Liocoris tripustulatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th April 2019

Liocoris tripustulatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th July 2019

Liocoris tripustulatus, North Elmham, 29th August 2020

Liocoris tripustulatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th September 2020

Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus - One caught in the garden moth trap on 21st August 2020, my first here since 2017.  I found these at the meadows a couple of times in 2018.

Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus, North Elmham, 21st August 2020

Lygus pratensis - Recorded at the meadows on 29th March and 21st April 2019 then 4 caught in the garden moth trap between 14th October and 1st November.  In 2020 5 at the meadows between 18th July and 5th September, caught in the garden moth trap on 23rd July and 19th August, one at Hoe on 20th September and one indoors here on 16th November.  Also 2 nymphs believed to be this species (but confirmation would be welcome) at the meadows on Imperforate St John's Wort on 30th August 2020 (swept with an adult pratensis on the same plant).  Even after looking at quite a lot of specimens and even more of rugulipennis I still find it rather difficult to see the differences in corium hair spacing.

Lygus pratensis, North Elmham, 25th October 2019

Lygus pratensis, North Elmham, 19th August 2020

adult and 2 nymphs (presumed) Lygus pratensis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th August 2020

Lygus pratensis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th September 2020

Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis - Caught in the garden moth trap on just 4 nights between 23rd July and 1st November 2019.  This was considerably fewer nights than in most years but included a count of 20 (all checked) on 25th October, the largest count of any bug I've had in my garden moth trap.  Much more frequently recorded in 2020, though with a lower total number - 5 between 7th and 30th January and 14 between 16th July and 21st December.  Although this species is typically darker than pratensis there is a fair amount of overlap.  Usually the darker examples of pratensis somehow look cleaner and smarter while rugulipennis usually looks quite dirty regardless of how light or dark they are.  I wouldn't rely on that though, and likewise the dark edge to the cuneus is a good indicator but not reliable.  I always check the hairs on the corium though the difference here is quite subtle and if I'm honest I'm not 100% sure that I've never made an error judging the hair detail.  A couple of records at the meadows in 2020 including one on 2nd May - the only one out of 74 that I've now identified that was in April, May or June.

Tarnished Plant Bugs Lygus rugulipennis, North Elmham, 25th October 2019

Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May 2020

Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, North Elmham, 19th August 2020

Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus rugulipennis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th September 2020

Megacoelum infusum - One caught in the garden moth trap on 15th August 2020 initially appeared to be Megacoelum beckeri based on its tibial characters, however my suspicions were aroused when I beat another out of an Oak tree at the meadows 4 days later and this showed similar tibial characters.  M. beckeri is a pine feeder whereas infusum is an Oak feeder - surely this individual in an Oak tree with no pines in the vicinity must have been infusum.  Eventually, after a Twitter exchange with help from Tristan Bantock and Ciarán Byrne and an examination of their claspers (helpfully both were males), we established that they were indeed both infusum.

Megacoelum infusum, North Elmham, 15th August 2020 - showing hind tibia

Megacoelum infusum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 19th August 2020 - showing hind tibia

abdomens of Megacoelum infusum, North Elmham, 15th August 2020 (left) and North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 19th August 2020 (right) - showing claspers

Neolygus contaminatus - None.  I caught this species here at home in 2017 and 2018.


Neolygus viridis - One found on Sycamore at the meadows on 13th June 2020, a new species for me.

Neolygus viridis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June 2020

Orthops basalis - 2 Orthops swept from Wild Carrot at the meadows on 12th August 2020 turned out to be one basalis and one campestris (left claspers checked to confirm).  Both were new for me.

Orthops basalis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August 2020

Orthops campestris - One swept from Wild Carrot at the meadows on 12th August 2020 - a first for me but I've already seen several already in 2021.

Orthops campestris, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August 2020

Next page: more Miridae

A few interesting insects at the meadows

Southern Hawker, 2 Speckled Woods, Field Grasshopper, Hornet and Common Carder Bee were among the insects seen at the meadows on the afternoon of 1st September.  There was also a new froghopper for me, Neophilaenus lineatus.

Neophilaenus lineatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st September

Shaking ash keys produced a few more including Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus, a Common Green Shieldbug, a 7-spot Ladybird, a small black ichneumid that is probably Gelis agilis and 5 Common Earwigs (including a juvenile which I retained in the hope that I could string it into one of the smaller earwig species - I failed but it was interesting to see it had moulted into an adult by the following day).

Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st September

Common Green Shieldbug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st September

probable Gelis agilis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st September

Common Earwig, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st-2nd September (before and after moult)

A quick sweep of some Broom also produced a few bits and pieces including another spider that I think was Xysticus cristatus (another presumed immature female) and two new bugs for me, Orthotylus concolor, and Broom Psyllid Arytaina genistae.  The latter was to prove very common here, with lots more records over the following months.

Orthotylus concolor, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st September

Broom Psyllid Arytaina genistae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st September

I remainded out until it got dark and most of the following moths were found in torchlight: 2 White-headed Ermines Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Blood-vein, Green Carpet, Double-striped Pug, 3 Brimstone Moths, 6 Square-spot Rustics, Angle Shades and 4 Snouts.

 That night an Old Lady was the best moth at home, the only one I recorded last year (and there were none the year before).  Other moths were Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Blood-veins, Single-dotted Wave, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Yellow Shells, Light Emerald, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 4 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Square-spot Rustic, Common Wainscot, 2 Flounced Rustics and 2 Frosted Oranges.

Old Lady, North Elmham, 1st September

Caddisflies consisted of 2 Hydropsyche pellucidula, 2 Small Silver Sedges Lepidostoma hirtum, 2 Limnephilus auricula, 8 Limnephilus lunatus and Limnephilus marmoratus. Other things included the brown lacewing Hemerobius lutescens, the bug Phytocoris tiliae, the beetle Aphodius rufipes, a Hornet and a Common Frog.

Phytocoris tiliae, North Elmham, 1st September

The following night the garden moth trap produced Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, 2 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Chinese Character, Green Carpet, Large Yellow Underwing, 6 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 4 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Square-spot Rustics, Common Wainscot, Centre-barred Sallow, 4 Flounced Rustics and 2 Straw Dots. Also the mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, 3 caddisflies, all Limnephilus lunatus and a Hornet.

A walk round the meadows on 3rd didn't end up with many records but some good ones.  A Maple Midget Phyllonorycter acerifoliella was only my second record ever (though slightly disapppointing as I was sure it was my first having completely forgotten about one I apparently saw at Creaking Gate Lake in 2013!).

Maple Midget Phyllonorycter acerifoliella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd September

More unexpected were a number of other small white moths seen in flight.  I netted four of them, from two different meadows, and all four were Poplar Bent-wings Phyllocnistis unipunctella.  It's a species I don't see very often (have only ever seen three times) and I wouldn't expect to see such numbers away from poplars.  Well in fact there is a stand of poplars about 300m away from the north-east corner of the meadows, about 400m away from the furthest of these moths, so this is presumably where they had all come from.

Poplar Bent-wings Phyllocnistis unipunctella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd September

There was a Mottled Grasshopper calling, the only record I had of this species at the meadows last year (though I didn't search for grasshoppers very rigorously).  There were 2 Chrysoperla carnea (green lacewings) and 2 Valenzuela flavidus (barkflies) on sycamore keys, Lygus pratensis (a mirid bug) and Harlequin Ladybird in ash keys, and a female Edwardsiana leafhopper (most likely Edwardsiana rosae) at some cherry.  Also a Muntjac across the river.