Hemiptera - Bugs
Cercopis vulnerata (9-11 mm) Cercopidae Black and red froghopper Striking black and red hopper. Nymphs feed on roots surrounded by solidified froth. Found from April to August in wooded and grassy places. During mating the bugs sit side by side. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .
Aphrophora alni (6-8 mm) Aphrophoridae Larger than the Common froghopper, possessing a pronotum with a keel, evident in (b). Wing cases can be variable in colouration. Nymphs surround themselves in foam for protection - 'cuckoo spit'; generally formed close to the ground on many plants. Found from May to October on a variety of shrubs and bushes.
Centrotus cornutus (7-10 mm) Horned treehopper Dark brown pronotum contains two horns, with the extension of the pronotum sinuate reaching back to the tip of the abdomen (a). Found on a variety of vegetation in wooded area from May to September. Nymph overwinters and is found at the base of plants amongst the leaf litter. Image taken at Bentley Wood, near Winterslow, Wiltshire .
Graphocephala fennahi (8-10 mm) Rhododendron leafhopper Unmistakeable North American import. Red stripes on forewings distinguish it from all other UK species. Found from June to October on rhododendrons in the south UK.
Leptoterna dolabrata (7-10 mm) Meadow plant bug Male striking black with yellow or orange stripes, fully winged. Females are partially winged. Both possess hairy legs and antennae. Found in high numbers in grassy places from May to September. Feeds on Cocksfoot and other grasses. Image taken at Bentley Wood, near Winterslow, Wiltshire . ID confirmed by Bernard Nau on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 24th June'06 . Image of adult male (top left), female (middle and bottom left) and nymph (right).
Miris striatus (9-12 mm) Large striped plant bug Striking bug with a yellow or orange cuneus on each striped forewing. Found on oak, hazel, elm and hawthorns from May to September. Partly predatory on small caterpillars and other soft bodied insects, but also feeds on young leaves. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .
Dolichonabis limbatus (7-9 mm) Marsh damsel bug Picture is of a nymph. Rarely has long wings, usually has a T mark on the pronotum. Found from July to November in damp grassy places feeding on a variety of insects. Image taken at Bentley Wood, near Winterslow, Wiltshire . ID confirmed by Sheila Brooke on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 23rd Nov'05 .
Anthocoris nemorum (3.5-4 mm) Anthocoridae Common flower bug Black head and prothorax, shiny forewings with red-brown, white and black areas. Predator of aphids and red spider mites, can pierce human skin. Found from April to May and July to October on a range of herbaceous plants, trees and shrubs. Hibernates under bark or debris in winter.
Calocoris stysi (?? mm) Elegant plant bug Feeds on flowers and young fruits of stinging nettles. Adults also feed on aphids and visit umbellifers. Found from May to August in wooded areas. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .
Calocoris roseomaculatus (6-8 mm) Easily identified from the rosy patches on forewings and dark central stripe on the scutellum. Found from June to October in dry grassland, feeding on flowerheads of a number of plants e.g. dandelions, birdsfoot trefoil and salad burnet. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .
Stenotus binotatus (5.5-7mm) Both male and females begin as green and black, however with age the male becomes orange and black and the female greyish and black. The two black pronotal spots are ever present. Similar to the Lucerne bug, but smaller. Found in rough grassland from May to October. Feeds on flower heads and ripening seeds of various grasses. Image taken at Bentley Wood, near Winterslow, Wiltshire . ID confirmed by Sheila Brooke on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 20th Dec'05 .
Lygocoris pabulinus (5-7 mm) Common green capsid Strong tibial spines and narrow collar on the pronotum. Common on a range of herbaceous and woody plants. Can be a pest of fruits and potatoes. Found from May to October. Overwinters as eggs on woody plants.
Deraeocoris ruber (6-8 mm) Red-spotted plant bug Small and shiny with brick coloured wing cases. Can range from yellow to black. The cuneus is always red. Unlike D. olivaceus, the tibia do not have alternating bands. Found on a range of plants from June to September. ID confirmed by Bernard Nau on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 24th June'06 . Images are of an adult (left, centre) and nymph (right).
Liocoris tripustulatus (4-5 mm) Young adults are light brown with yellow spots. The colour changes to a deep reddish brown after hiberation with a bright orange scutellum and cuneus. Found on nettles feeding on the juices from the buds, flowers and seeds. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . ID confirmed by Sheila Brooke on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 23rd Nov 2005 .
The order Hemiptera contains ~1500 species in the UK, ranging widely in morphology. All species possess a piercing hollow beak known as the rostrum - used to suck juices from plants or animals. Many are crop pests, reducing yield and spreading viral disease. There is variation in the possession of wings, often in the same species - fully-winged (macropterous), short-winged (brachyopterous) and wingless (apterous). The fore wings may form a hardened protective plate. Bugs do not have a pupal stage - young nymphs generally resembling adults. Gnerally five instars with the budding wings absent until the 4th. Adults can be distinguished from nymphs by the presence of a defined junction where the wings and scutellum join.
There are two sub-orders:
(i) Heteroptera - possess forewings separated into a hardened region and a membranous tip, folded flat over the body at rest. Antennae have five segments. The large pronotum and scutellum are conspicuous. Include bugs that feed on both plants and animals, and all of the water bugs e.g. shield bugs, water boatmen.
(ii) Homoptera - the forewings are of uniform texture, either entirely hardened or membranous, held roofwise over the body at rest. Entirely vegetarian sucking sap from host plants.
Generally brown jumping bugs. The hind tibia are rounded containing few spines - distinguishing the Aphrophoridae from the Cicadellidae.The forewings are horny and pitted. The nymphs live within a protective froth on plants known as cuckoo spit.
Softer forewings than the Aphrophoridae and possess numerous spines on the hind tibia. Identification often relies on examination of the facial features.
The pronotum extends back over the abdomen and is often decorated with spines and thorns for mimicry of plant thorns and for protection. The nymphs are spiky and pointed at the back.
Soft body and forewings with a well developed cuneus. Generally herbivrous. Most overwinter as eggs.
Bedbugs are wingless bloodsucking parasites, whilt flower bugs are fully winged, feeding on insects captured on flowers. Resemble Mirid bugs but possess a distinctive embolium in the anterior of the forewing.
Predatory bugs with a four-segmented rostrum. The antennae do not have clear elbows unlike the Reduviidae. Will pierce human skin if handled.
Nabis rugosus (6-7 mm) Common damsel bug Pale brown bug with a dark spot on each wing. Short and long winged varieties occur. Found all year but hibernates in cold periods, commonest from June to October. Present in rough grassy places. Widespread and common. Image of male insect taken at Garston Wood RSPB reserve, Sixpenny Handley, Wiltshire . ID confirmed by Sheila Brooke on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 25th April'06 - narrow pronotum, curved rostrum (not visible) .
Gerris lacustris (8-12 mm) Common Pondskater Black pronotal disc with reddish or yellow anterior streak. Pale front femur. Wings may be present or almost absent. Widespread and common from April to October on slow-moving and still waters. Image taken at Garston Wood RSPB reserve, Sixpenny Handley, Wiltshire . This pondskater landed on the silver bumper, presumably thinking it was water! Other UK species: Black pronotal disc with red/yellow anterior streak - G. argentatus (6.5-8 mm, unbroken pronotal yellow line, black front femur, hind tibia and tarsi 2/3rd as long as femur), G. gibbifer (10-13 mm, yellow lateral line not continuous, common on acidic lowland waters), G. odontogaster (7-9 mm, unbroken pronotal yellow line, black front femur, hind tibia and tarsi as long as femur, common); Yellowish/red pronotal disc - G. costai (12-14 mm, dark patch behind eye, upland moors and bogs), G. thoracicus (10-12 mm, small still pools, widespread), G. lateralis (9-11 mm, antennae black with yellow at the base)
Specialised for predatory life on the water surface. The prey is grasped in the front legs. The middle pair of legs propel the bug across the water, acting in unison. The hind legs act as rudders. Covered in water repellant hairs. Hibernate on land as an adult. Feed on other insects especially those that fall in.
Notostira elongata (6-9 mm) - The male is black with greenish-yellow edges to the pronotum and forewings. Summer females are green whilst autumn females are light brown. Males are found from June to October and the females all year. Common and widespread in grassy places in England and Wales.
Harpocera thoracica (??? mm) The male is generally black with clear wings. Each forewing has a spot that is coloured black and white. The female is light to dark brown- and possess the spot on the forewing. Found during May-June, often on nettles. Image taken at Bentley Wood , near Winterslow, Wiltshire . Images are of a male (top) and female (bottom).
Philaenus spumarius (5-7 mm) Aphrophoridae Common froghopper Generally light brown with variable dark brown patterns. Distinctive strong curved edge to the forewing. Found from June to September on herbaceous plants in scrub, grassland and woodland edges. 'Cuckoo spit' is present from April to June. Widespread and common. Image taken at Meathop Moss, near Silverdale, Lake District .
Heterotoma merioptera (5-6 mm) Brownish body with pale green legs and thickened second antennal segment. Found amongst dense vegetation, especially nettles from June to October. Partly a predator of other insects. Common and widepsread. Image taken at Warton Crag, Silverdale, Lancashire .
Lygus rugulipennis (4.5-6 mm) Tarnished plant bug Colour is variable from yellow to brick red or brown. Rusty stain on the cuneus; pale scutellum with dark streaking. Coat of fine hairs distinguishes the bug from L. pratensis. Found on a range of plants and can be a pest of arable crops and in gardens causing white spotting of the leaves. Will feed on flowers. Common on Stinging nettle. found all year but hibernates as an adult. Common and widepsread. Image taken at Garston Wood RSPB reserve, Sixpenny Handley, Dorset .
Corixa punctata (12-14 mm) Common waterboatman White head with dark brownish-black pronotum and wing cases. Fore-tarsus is short and triangular. Middle and hind legs are the same length. The claws on the middle leg are shorter than the tarsus. Fly well. Found in still waters, swimming the right way up unlike the 'backswimmers'. Widespread and common. Image taken at Porton Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .
Large family of aquatic bugs that often require microscopic identification. Adults possess wings that the nymphs lack. Possess a triangular head, but lack the sharp rostrum of the Water boatmen (Notonectidae). Swims with the back down and the underside of the abdomen facing the surface of the water, using the hair fringed hind legs as oars.
Polymerus unifasciatus (5-7mm) Black and yellow bug with a red and black spot two-thirds of the way down the wings. Largely yellow corium. Golden pubescence can be observed on the forewing with a strong lens. Tibiae have strong black spines. Found from May to September in rough grassland. Feeds on bedstraws. common and widespread. Image taken at Porton Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .
Eurhadina pulchella (3-4 mm) Feeds on the leaves of Quercus petraea (Sessile oak) and Q. robur (Pedunculate oak). Image taken at Porton Down, near Winterslow, Wiltshire . ID confirmed by David Charles on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 16th Sept'07 . Other UK species: E. concinna, E. kirschbaumi, E. loewii and E. ribauti.
Himacerus apterus (8-12 mm) Tree damsel bug Forewings rarely reach the end of the abdomen. Found in deciduous trees from July to October feeding on mites and small insects. Found in the south of he UK. Image taken at Porton Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . ID confirmed by Sheila Brooke on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 30th Sept'07 .
Javesella pellucida (3-4 mm) ?????? Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Dorset . Image is of a male - square abdomen tip rather than pointed; black colouration of thorax with white pronotal hind margin is typical of males. ID confirmed by Alan Stewart on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 4th May'08 and Alan Stewart 6th May'08 . Other UK species: J. discolor, J. dubia, J. forcipata and J. obscurella..
Planthoppers possess inward pointing spurs at the tip of the tibiae.
Cixius nervosus (6-8 mm) Cixiidae Memranous forewings with well defined veins. Yellowish brown pronotum with prominent lateral keels. Dark brown scutellum with three keels. Found from May to October on a range of trees. Widespread and common. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire . ID confirmed by Alan Stewart on the hets yahoo newsgroup, 4th July'08
