Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Plagiognathus chrysanthemi - Trefoil Plant Bug

bug - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi bug - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi plant bug - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi  Miridae  - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi Plagiognathus from British Columbia (2) 10.07.12 - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi - female Thistle Plant Bug 3 - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi Thistle Plant Bug 3 - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi Miridae - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Infraorder Cimicomorpha
Superfamily Miroidea
Family Miridae (Plant Bugs)
Subfamily Phylinae
Tribe Phylini
Subtribe Oncotylina
Genus Plagiognathus
Species chrysanthemi (Trefoil Plant Bug)
Explanation of Names
Plagiognathus chrysanthemi (Wolff 1804)
Size
♂ 3.60-4.18 mm, ♀ 3.18-3.52 mm(1)
Identification
Recognized by the greenish to greenish-yellow dorsum with black, weakly bristlelike setae and antennal segment 2 mostly pale with a dark base.
Easily confused with guttatipes, but distinguished by the form of the male genitalia; distributions also nonoverlapping. Also similar in coloration to cibbetsi and polhemorum, both those species with pale setae on the dorsum. Vesica with basal portion very strongly curved and with apical spines sinuously curving. Coloration of dorsum also similar to that of ribesi, but that species with a strong black transverse marking on membrane and with a black stripe on the dorsal surface of all femora. (1)
Range
native to, and widely distributed in, the Palaearctic, adventive in our area (NS-ON south to NY-MI in the east and MT-OR-n.CA in the west)(2)
Food
Variety of herbaceous annuals.
Internet References
adult and nymph images: UK(3) | Denmark(4)