Stenodema pilosa

Stenodema pilosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Miridae
Genus: Stenodema
Species:
S. pilosa
Binomial name
Stenodema pilosa
Jakovlev, 1889
Synonyms

S. trispinosa (Reuter, 1904)

Stenodema pilosa is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae, first described in 1889.[1][2] It can be found across transcontinental North America Eurasia.[1]

Description

Species within the genus Stenodema are elongate with a longitudinal furrow between the eyes and are best distinguished by the coarsely and densely pitted prothorax. S. pilosa is about 8โ€“9 mm long and has three spurs on the hind femora. This distinguishes it from other closely related species, notably S. calcarata which has two femoral spurs.[3][4]

There are two generations per year. Adults which have overwintered and mated in the spring are green with an orange-brown hourglass marking down their back, and those born later in the year are beige or tan. Males are often darker than females.[2]

Range and habitat

This species has been found across transcontinental North America Eurasia and is commonly observed in grassy fields and wetlands.[5]

Ecology

Stenodema pilosa feeds on grasses such as the meadow foxtail, reed canary grass and common reed.[1] They overwinter as adults and emerge in April, and the new generation is complete by August.[6]

Etymology

Formerly treated as a separate species, S. trispinosa was synomized with S. pilosa in 2024.[2] The specific name trispinosa means "three-spined" and refers to the three small spines on its femurs.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Stenodema trispinosa โ€“ Plant Parasites of Europe". bladmineerders.nl. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  2. ^ a b Namyatova, AA; Dzhelali, PA; Konstantinov, FV (2024). "Delimitation of the widely distributed Palearctic Stenodema species (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae): insights from molecular and morphological data". ZooKeys (1209): 245โ€“294. Bibcode:2024ZooK.1209..245N. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1209.124766. PMC 11336388. PMID 39175835.
  3. ^ "(Miridae) Stenodema trispinosa". www.britishbugs.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  4. ^ "Stenodema laevigata | NatureSpot". www.naturespot.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  5. ^ "Stenodema laevigata | NatureSpot". www.naturespot.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  6. ^ "(Miridae) Stenodema trispinosa". www.britishbugs.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  7. ^ "Species Stenodema trispinosum". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2024-01-19.