''Lygus pratensis'' is a species of plant bug belonging to 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". Common names include plant bugs, leaf bugs, and grass bugs. It is th ...

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in most of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, in Northern Asia (excluding China) and in the Indomalayan realm. These bugs prefers heaths, hedge rows and meadows Commanster
/ref>(hence the species name ''pratensis'', meaning ''of a meadow'').

Description

''Lygus pratensis'' can reach a length of in males, of in females. The color pattern and markings of these plant bugs vary greatly. Color may be green, brown or reddish. Usually the males are light reddish-brown to dark red, while the females are green and brownish-colored. The body is oval in shape and slightly flattened. The scutellum is heart-shaped in both sexes. The wings are clearly visible, as they are not completely covered by the hemielytra. Eyes, legs and antennae are usually reddish. These bugs can be identified mainly on the basis of the fine details of the corium.British Bugs
/ref> This species is very similar to '' Lygus wagneri'', but usually it is slightly larger, has longer membrane and a more densely pubescent corium. It is also quite similar to ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''.

Biology

''Lygus pratensis'' is a sap-sucking species. Both the larvae and the adults suck the juice of different herbaceous plants, but also nectar of flowers (especially of '' Leucanthemum vulgare'' and ''

Tanacetum vulgare Tansy (''Tanacetum vulgare'') is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant in the genus ''Tanacetum'' in the aster family, native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world, including North America, and in ...

''). They are polyphagous, mainly feeding on juices of ''

Ranunculus acris ''Ranunculus acris'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, and is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup, tall buttercup, common buttercup and giant but ...

'', ''

Raphanus raphanistrum ''Raphanus raphanistrum'', also known as wild radish, white charlock or jointed charlock, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. One of its subspecies, ''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'', includes a diverse variety of cultiv ...

'', ''

Linaria vulgaris ''Linaria vulgaris'', the common toadflax,Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. yellow toadflax or butter-and-eggs, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to Europe, Siberia ...

'', '' Calluna vulgaris '' and of various ''

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

'' species, but also on ''

Aphididae The Aphididae are a very large insect family in the aphid superfamily ( Aphidoidea), of the order Hemiptera. These insects suck the sap from plant leaves. Several thousand species are placed in this family, many of which are considered plant/crop ...

'' species. This species is considered a pest. Adults are present all year, with one or two generations. The adult insects overwinter in the litter, in moss or under barks. The females lay their eggs in May and June in flower buds or other plant parts. The tiny eggs are round and white and are deposited in groups. The larvae initially are small, round and bright. In the later stages the larvae are completely green and they can easily be confused with aphids. They grow quickly and are very harmful for the plants. A good biological control is represented by the parasitic wasps of the genus '' Peristenus'' that actively seek the nymphs and lay an egg inside them. When the egg hatches the wasp larva eats the living nymph from the inside.TARA D. GARIEPY, ULRICH KUHLMANN, TIM HAYE, CEDRIC GILLOTT, & MARTIN ERLANDSO
A single-step multiplex PCR assay for the detection of European Peristenus spp., parasitoids of Lygus spp.
/ref>

Bibliography

* Kerzhner I. M., Josifov M. (1999). "Family Miridae". In Aukema, Berend; Rieger, Christian. Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region. 3, Cimicomorpha II. Amsterdam: Netherlands Entomological Society. pp. 1–577, pages 121 & 122. . * Schwartz, Michael D., and Robert G. Foottit (1998) Revision of the Nearctic species of the genus Lygus Hahn, with a review of the Palaearctic species (Heteroptera: Miridae), Memoirs on Entomology, International, vol. 10 * E. Wachmann, A. Melber & J. Deckert: Die Tierwelt Deutschlands. Wanzen. Band 2. Goecke & Evers, Keltern, 2004. 288 pp.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q625546 Lygus Bugs described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus