Poecilocapsus lineatus

Poecilocapsus lineatus, commonly known as the Fourlined Plant Bug,[2] is a species of true bug (Hemiptera) in the family Miridae. This species is native to the United States and Canada.

Poecilocapsus lineatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hemiptera
Suborder:
Heteroptera
Family:
Miridae
Genus:
Poecilocapsus
Species:
P. lineatus
Binomial name
Poecilocapsus lineatus Fabricius, 1798
Synonyms
  • Lygaeus lineatus Fabricius, 1798
  • Capsus quadrivittatus Say, 1832
  • Phytocoris bellus Emmons, 1854
  • Phytocoris vittatus Rathvon, 1869
  • Phytocoris lineatus (Fabricius, 1798); Fitch, 1870
  • Lygus lineatus (Fabricius, 1798); Glover, 1875
  • Poecilocapsus lineatus (Fabricius, 1798); Reuter, 1875
  • Poecilacapsus [sic] vittatus (Rathvon, 1869); Uhler, 1884
  • Poscilocapsus [sic] lineatus (Fabricius, 1798); LaFollette, 1915[1]

Description
Four-lined Plant Bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus)
Four-lined Plant Bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus)

The adults are about 7–7.5 millimetres (0.28–0.30 in) in length and 3.5 millimetres (0.14 in) in width. Adults have four distinct black lines against a background color ranging from green to yellow, with an orange head and prominent, dark red eyes. Nymphs grow rapidly through five instars, with wing pads growing at each molt. Nymphs are a bright red color with black markings, except for the last instar which is bright orange.[3][4][5]

Ecology

This species has a wide host range, but shows strong preference for plants in the mint and composite families (Lamiaceae and Asteraceae). Various herbaceous perennials and shrubs in these families are favored for reproduction and account for the majority of damage observed in the landscape and garden, although and vegetables are also sometimes damaged.[6] Both nymphs and adults feed on leaves creating the water-soaked patches of leaf tissues that may later dry up or fall out to produce tiny holes.

Life cycle

This species has only one generation per year. They overwinter in the egg stage, hatching in mid to late spring. Both sexes mate within six weeks after hatching. The timing of egg hatch and development varies. In southern Pennsylvania the eggs hatched from mid to late April, with adults being seen by late May. In the northern part of the same state, the development was 1–3 weeks later. This is also true elsewhere: in the city of Lafayette in Indiana, the development was 2–3 weeks earlier than it was in Ithaca, New York.[7]

Pest

The insect is considered to be a minor pest, since it occasionally does damage to herbaceous plants, especially mints, and rarely to woody shrubs or small trees, including forsythia, dogwood, wild hydrangea, and sumac. The species damages plants during the late spring to early summer, with the nymphs causing the majority of plant damage as they feed and develop.[8][9]

References
  1. Henry TJ, Froeschner RC, eds. 1988. Catalog of the Heteroptera, or True Bugs, of Canada and the Continental United States. Leiden, NY, USA. E. J. Brill
  2. "ESA Common Name Database". ESA. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  3. "Images of Adults and Damage". Cirrus Image. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  4. Slingerland MV. 1893. The four-lined leaf-bug. Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin. 58: 207-209.
  5. "Fourlined plant bug: Description". [UF/IFAS]. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  6. "Fourlined plant bug: Hosts". [UF/IFAS]. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  7. Wheeler AG, Miller GL. 1981. Fourlined plant bug (Hemiptera: Miridae), a reappraisal: life history, host plants, and plant response to feeding. The Great Lake Entomologist 14: 23-35.
  8. "Four Lined Plant Bug - Poecilocapsus lineatus".
  9. "Fourlined plant bug: Damage". [UF/IFAS]. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
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