plant bug

(Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus)

Conservation Status
plant bug (Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus)
Photo by David Israel
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus is a relatively small true bug but a medium-sized to large plant bug. It occurs in the United States east of the Great Plains and in adjacent Canadian provinces. It is common in woodlands where it is found on on a variety of flowering plants. In Minnesota, it has been recorded on common false Solomon’s seal and wild geranium.

The body is soft, and about ¼ long.

The head is shorter than the prothorax. There are two large compound eyes and no simple eyes (ocelli). The beak-like part of the head containing the mouth parts (rostrum) has four segments. It is short, stout, and projects downward and forward when sucking plant juices. The antennae have four segments beyond the short basal segment (scape). They are thin and long, much longer than the head and as long as the entire thickened wing covers (hemelytra). The first segment is entirely black, the second segment is black except for a short pale base, and the third and fourth segments are entirely pale.

The pronotum is wider than long.

There are two pairs of wings, and they are held flat over the body when at rest. Between and at the wing bases there is a triangular plate (scutellum). The front wings (hemelytra) are longer than the hind wings. The hemelytra have a thickened part at the base and a thin membranous part at the tip with a clear dividing line between the two. The thickened basal part is comprised of a narrow area (clavus) behind the scutellum when the wings are closed, and the remaining broad marginal area (corium). At the end of the corium there is a small but distinct triangular area (cuneus). The scutellum is large and triangular. The membranous tip has two closed cells. The hind wing is completely thin and membranous.

The coloration is highly variable, with fifteen different color forms recorded. The color forms are not geographically separated and are considered an example of color polymorphism, not subspecies. Generally, the head, the thoracic shield (pronotum), and the leathery wing covers (hemelytra) are shiny black. Most individuals have colorful markings, either bright red or bright orange. These include the head, the lateral margins of the pronotum, and the lateral margins of the elytra. Some individuals are entirely orange except for the membranous tips of the hemelytra, which are always black. Some individuals are entirely black.

The legs either match the bright coloration of the body or are mostly or entirely black. The end part of the leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, has 3 segments.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Total length: ¼(6.5 mm) average

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Woodlands

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

June to mid-July

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

 

 
     
 

Nymph Food

 
 

 

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

 
  9/9/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Hemiptera (true bugs, hoppers, aphids, and allies)  
 

Suborder

Heteroptera (true bugs)  
 

Infraorder

Cimicomorpha (cimicomorph bugs)  
 

Superfamily

Miroidea  
 

Family

Miridae (plant bugs)  
 

Subfamily

Mirinae  
 

Tribe

Mirini  
  Genus Metriorrhynchomiris  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Metriorrhynchomiris affinis

Poecilocapsus affinis

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

This species has no common name. The common name for the family Miridae is plant bugs, and it is applied here for convenience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Hemelytron

The forewing of true bugs (Order Hemiptera), thickened at the base and membranous at the tip. Plural: hemelytra.

 

Ocellus

Simple eye; an eye with a single lens. Plural: ocelli.

 

Pronotum

The exoskeletal plate on the upper side of the first segment of the thorax of an insect.

 

Scape

On plants: An erect, leafless stalk growing from the rootstock and supporting a flower or a flower cluster. On insects: The basal segment of the antenna.

 

Tarsus

On insects, the last two to five subdivisions of the leg, attached to the tibia; the foot. On spiders, the last segment of the leg. Plural: tarsi.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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David Israel

 
    plant bug (Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus)      
 

Alfredo Colon

 
    plant bug (Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus)      
           
 
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Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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  Amanda McLeod
9/8/2022

Location: Santa Fe New Mexico

 
  Alfredo Colon
8/20/2018

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

plant bug (Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus)  
  David Israel
6/21/2016

Location: Woodside Township, Otter Tail County, MN

I photographed this one on 6/21/16.

plant bug (Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus)  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

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Created: 7/4/2019

Last Updated:

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