Cedar Creek Natural History Area

Insects of Cedar Creek

Order HEMIPTERA

MIRINAE--STENODEMINI
Members of this group are primarily grass feeders. They are slender-elongate with divergent arolia and a collar around the neck. Leptopterna dolobrata and Litomiris debilis (as Porpomiris curtulus) are two abundant early summer species of Poa-Agropyron fields. Collaria meilleurii is an uncommon species of Poa fields. Megalocoerea recticornis, an introduced species, has only been taken in dense Poa-Quack. Stenodema vicinum is common in lusher Poa fields and the heavier grass (Muhlenbergia) of savanna regions. Stenodema trispinosum is considerably less common, but possibly often overlooked because of the more abundant S. vicinum. Trigonotylus coelestialium is found in fair numbers in a wide variety of fields. Trigonotylus tarsalis occurs on Spartina pectinata in HAS.  Mimoceps insignis is fairly common in Carex depressions and Calamogrostis swales?

MIRINAE--MIRINI
Members of this Tribe have diverging arolia but are more robust in appearance. Capsus cinctus is a hairy black species with clavate antennae that is a common early summer species in many Poa-Quack fields.  A single specimen of the larger Capsus ateralso collected. Adelphocoris lineolatus (green tone) is common in a wide variety of fields. Adelphocoris rapidus (red tone) is more common in savanna regions. Both these species feed on Legumes. Several species of Lygus occur on the area, and at least four have been collected in CCNHA old fields. Lygus lineolaris, the Tarnished Plant Bug, is by far the most abundant. It is ubiquitous on weedy Asteraceae.

Two other common species not always distinguished are Lygus borealis (yellow scutellum) and Lygus atritibialis (black legs). Both, though common, are less widely distributed. L. borealis seems to prefer fields with vetch, and L. atritibialis prefers drier weedy fields with Artemisia caudata. Lygus vanduzeii is larger, considerably less common, and seems to prefer Solidago. Polymerus chrysopsis is a specialist on Golden Prairie Aster (Chrysopsis villosa) and has been taken only in xeric fields containing this plant. Three other species of Polymerus collected sparingly are P. rubrocuneatus, P. venaticus, and P. basalis.

A common woodland species in this Tribe is the striking black and red Metriorhynchomiris dislocatus.  It is generally found along woodland trails on Geranium and Lychnis. A host of other Mirini have also been collected, primarily from woods and marshes. These include Prepops (3 spp--fraternus, rubellicollis, zonatus), Stenotus binotatus, Neurocolpus nubilis (sumac), Taedia scrupea, Poecilocapsus lineatus (Eupatorium), Orthops scutellatus (Cicuta), Lygocoris pabulinus (Impatiens), Neolygus canadensis  (hazel), Tropidosteptes (Neoborus+Xenoborus) (3spp--amoenus+var. scutellaris, commissuralis, pettiti) (all found on Fraxinus).   Also collected are 8+ uncommon?  species of the predaceous genus Phytocoris (canadensis, depictus, erectus, lasiomerus, pallidicornis, pinicola, salicis, tibialis).  These species occur in woodlands on trees and shrubs.

ORTHOTYLINAE
Members of this subfamily have converging arolia. Labops brooksi is an abundant small black bug-eyed early summer species of Poa fields. Less common species of fields include the shiny black Slaterocoris atritibialis on Solidago. Sericophanes heidemanni, a slender brown ground dweller. Halticusintermedius, is a compact dude with enlarged femora found on Baptisia. Three red and black species of Lopidea have been collected sparingly: L. lathyri (Lathyrus venosus), L. media (Solidago), L. sp? (sumac). Ilnacora vittifrons occurs on Helianthusrigidus in xeric prairie. Most of the other Orthotylinae collected occur on foliage in woods and swamps.

Pseudoxenetus regalis is an elongate black-and-white species that is rather common on oak foliage. Other species include: Ceratocapsus 3 spp (digitulus, modestus, pilosulus), Blepharidopterus provancheri and Paraproba capitata (as Diaphnocoris), Reuteria fuscicornis, and Melanotrichus flavosparsus.

I have collected Hadronema militaris on lupine near here.

A motley assembly of small subfamilies will be considered next. I remind the reader here that I have spent little time collecting in woodland, and a host of new species is sure to turn up with serious collecting.

DERAEOCORINAE
Two species of predatory Deraeocoris (laricicola, nebulosus) have been collected, as well as the glassy-winged red-marked Hyaliodes harti. Members of this subfamily are found on trees and shrubs.

DICYPHINAE
Dicyphus famelicus is sometimes common on Rubus in woodlands.

BRYOCORINAE
Monalocoris americanus has been collected from ferns in woodland.

CYLAPINAE
Fulvius slateri has been collected in field pitfalls.

PHYLINAE
This large subfamily of generally small Mirids presents several taxonomic difficulties. It is likely that more species have been collected than those listed below.The first group discussed are predators on ground, forbs, shrubs, or trees. Coquillettia mimetica is an ant-mimicing mirid taken from Solidago. The females are wingless. Orectoderus obliquus is an uncommon black-and-white ground-dwelling predator. Four species of Pilophorus, (clavatus, neoclavatus, piceicola, strobicola) have also been collected.  They are predaceous tree dwellers.

Chlamydatus associatus is sometimes very common on ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) in weedy fields. Europiella decolor(as Psallus sp), an introduced species,  is fairly common in weedy fields. Plagiognathus (Plagiognathus+Psallus?)is a large genus of small brown species having yellow legs with black-spotted tibiae. Michael Schwartz identified 9 species in the material sent to him.  They include:  amorphae  (Amorpha canescens). davisi (Potentilla arguta) and alboradialis, dispar, flavicornis, fuscosus, obscurus, politus+var flaveolus from weedy Asteraceae in a variety of fields.

Amblytylus nasutus, an introduced species, has been collected in fields containing Lathyrus venosus. Other species collected include Pseudatomoscelis seriatus, Microphylellus modestus, Rhinacloa forticornis, andRhinocapsus vanduzeii.  A few specimens of a tiny Mirid, Tytthus sp nov, were D-vacced from field C.