Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Miridae
Common name: Plant bug, Leaf bug, Grass bugs, Capsid bugs.
Miridae is a large and diverse insect family. It is the largest family of true bugs belonging to the suborder Heteroptera, with over 10,000 known species and new ones constantly being described. There are about 100 known in New Zealand.
They are small, terrestrial insects, usually oval-shaped or elongate and measuring less than 12 millimetres in length. Some are brightly coloured, others drab or dark. Some genera are ant mimics at certain stages of life. Most of the more well-known mirids have received attention because they are agricultural pests. They pierce plant tissues and feed on the juices. Some suck juices out of aphids and scale insects. Most inject their eggs into plants
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A 4mm plant bug photographed December.
The three photos below are of a 3 mm long plant bug nymph.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
