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The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''.


Species

At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of those have since been reclassified into new or existing genera. Species within this genus include: * ''
Lygus abroniae ''Lygus abroniae'' is a species in the family Miridae ("plant bugs"), in the order Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order (biology), order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas ...
'' * '' Lygus aeratus'' * ''
Lygus atriflavus The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * '' Lygus atritibialis'' * '' Lygus borealis'' * '' Lygus bradleyi'' * '' Lygus ceanothi'' * '' Lygus convexicollis'' * ''
Lygus elisus ''Lygus elisus'', known generally as the pale legume bug or lucerne plant bug, is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae. It is found in Central America, North America, and Oceania. References Further reading

* * Lygus Article ...
'' * '' Lygus gemellatus'' * ''
Lygus hesperus The Western tarnished plant bug (''Lygus hesperus'') is a serious pest of cotton, strawberries, and seed crops such as alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabac ...
'' * ''
Lygus humeralis The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * '' Lygus keltoni'' * '' Lygus lineolaris'' * ''
Lygus lupini The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus maritimus ''Heterocordylus tibialis'' is a Palearctic species of true bugEkkehard Wachmann, Albert Melber, Jürgen Deckert: . ''Wanzen''. Band 2: Cimicomorpha: Microphysidae (Flechtenwanzen), Miridae (Weichwanzen) (= ''Die Tierwelt Deutschlands und der ...
'' * ''
Lygus mexicanus The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus oregonae The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus perplexus The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus plagiatus ''Lygus plagiatus'' is a species of plant bug in the family 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" ...
'' * ''
Lygus potentillae The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus pratensis ''Lygus pratensis'' is a species of plant bug belonging to the family Miridae. Distribution and habitat This species can be found in most of Europe, in Africa, in Northern Asia (excluding China) and in the Indomalayan realm. These bugs prefer ...
'' * ''
Lygus punctatus ''Lygus punctatus'' is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae. Distribution This species can be found in most Europe and Northern Asia (excluding China), North America, and Southern Asia. Description ''Lygus punctatus'' can reach a body ...
'' * ''
Lygus robustus The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus rolfsi The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus rubroclarus ''Lygus rubroclarus'' is a species of plant bug in the family 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 bug ...
'' * ''
Lygus rubrosignatus The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus rufidorsus The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus rugulipennis ''Lygus rugulipennis'', common name European tarnished plant bug, is a species of ''plant bugs'' of the family Miridae. Distribution and habitat This common and widespread species is present in most of Europe and in the Nearctic realm. These b ...
'' * ''
Lygus scudderi The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' * ''
Lygus shulli ''Lygus shulli'' is a species of plant bug in the family 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". ...
'' * '' Lygus solidaginis'' * '' Lygus striatus'' * '' Lygus unctuosus'' * ''
Lygus wagneri ''Lygus wagneri'' is a species of plant bug belonging to the family Miridae, subfamily Mirinae. Description ''Lygus wagneri'' can reach a length of . These bugs have a golden gray to olive brown coloration, with small reddish areas. Head shows l ...
'' * ''
Lygus vanduzeei ''Lygus vanduzeei'' is a species of plant bug in the family 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" ...
'' * ''
Lygus varius The genus ''Lygus'' includes over 40 species of plant-feeding insects in the family Miridae. The term lygus bug is used for any member of genus ''Lygus''. Species At one time, nearly 200 species were classified as genus ''Lygus'', but most of th ...
'' *The tarnished plant bug ('' Lygus lineolaris'') feeds on over half of all commercially grown crop plants, but favors cotton,
alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...
,
bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...
s,
stone fruits In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...
, and
conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
seedlings. This bug can be found across
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, from northern Canada to southern Mexico. *The western tarnished plant bug (''
Lygus hesperus The Western tarnished plant bug (''Lygus hesperus'') is a serious pest of cotton, strawberries, and seed crops such as alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabac ...
'') is a very serious pest of cotton,
strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...
, and seed crops such as
alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...
. In the state of California alone the bug causes US$30 million in damage to cotton plants each year, and at least US$40 million in losses to the state's strawberry industry. *The European tarnished plant bug (''
Lygus rugulipennis ''Lygus rugulipennis'', common name European tarnished plant bug, is a species of ''plant bugs'' of the family Miridae. Distribution and habitat This common and widespread species is present in most of Europe and in the Nearctic realm. These b ...
'') is distributed throughout Europe, where it will feed on over 400 types of crop plant from peach trees to wheat to lettuce.British Bugs
/ref>


Description

These insects appear as small oval creatures. Adult lygus are approximately 3 mm wide and 6 mm long, colored anything in a range from pale green to reddish brown or black. The bugs can be solid shaded or mottled, and have a distinctive triangle or V-shape on their backs. Adults are capable of flight, and will often thus escape when approached. Nymphs are wingless, and being light green in color, are often mistaken for aphids. However, lygus nymphs have harder exoskeletons, are typically more active, gain spots as they age, and lack aphid cornicles.


Biology

Lygus bugs are known for their destructive feeding habits - they puncture plant tissues with their piercing mouthparts, and feed by sucking sap. Both the physical injury and the plant's own reaction to the bugs' saliva cause damage to the plant. The females insert their eggs directly into the plant tissues using piercing
ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...
s, and the newly emerged nymphs are voracious consumers of plant tissue juices. Signs that a plant has been attacked by lygus bugs include discoloration, deformation of shoots and stems, curling of leaves, and lesions on the plant tissues.


Economic importance

The more well-known lygus bugs are those that have
agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...
impacts. Some lygus bugs are very serious agricultural pests. General Lygus Information
/ref> Some methods of
biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...
have proved useful against lygus bugs. For example, wasps of the genus ''Peristenus'' are
parasitoids In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasi ...
of lygus bugs; an adult wasp will inject an egg into a lygus nymph, and once the egg hatches the wasp's larva will consume the nymph from the inside out.


Gallery

File:Lygus.pratensis4.-.lindsey.jpg File:Lygus.wagneri.-.lindsey.jpg File:Mirid April 2008-1.jpg File:Lygus lineolaris 2.jpg File:Lygus lineolaris on Trifolium.jpg File:Lygus lineolaris.jpg


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3024203 Miridae genera Agricultural pest insects Taxa named by Carl Wilhelm Hahn