Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#428808
Swarmy nymph (hemipteran)? - Nysius

Swarmy nymph (hemipteran)? - Nysius
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, Santa Clara County, California, USA
July 18, 2010
Size: ~1 mm without antennae
Late in the afternoon on 16 and again on 18 July 2010 in warm (80-90 F) sunny weather, we (docents at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District) saw swarms of tiny critters on a dusty trail through grasslands (wild oats, Harding grass, etc.) at 2000' elevation. They looked nymph-like, and they were only around 1 mm long and in constant motion (difficult photography). To get an idea of the swarm and the way it almost made the ground seem alive, check out a short video at http://tinyurl.com/2ayz37p . I also noticed that nearby there are lots of the adult hemiptera shown in the following photo: http://tinyurl.com/2bwvefp . I wonder whether the little ones could be hatchlings of those.

Nysius sp. -- det. M.H. Sweet

 
Thanks!
Several of the local open-space docents have been wondering what these critters are. Now I can tell them.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.