Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Clouded Plant Bug Nymph

While photographing ladybugs on a white hydrangea (probably Hydrangea arborescens, or "Annabelle"), I spotted several plant bug nymphs on the bud clusters. Turns out they're late instars of the Clouded Plant Bug (Neurocolpus nubilus). The wings aren't fully developed yet, but they are visible. From my research, I'd estimate these nymphs to be about 24 days old. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Notice the dark spot on the dorsal surface of the abdomen, and the long, jointed, banded antennae. At first glance the antennae looked like legs to me. I found more than one specimen with an overall green color, and one with a reddish color. Nymphs can be destructive, but I didn't observe any significant damage to the hydrangea. They are particularly associated with cotton plants.


Red-colored specimen:

Back to green:

References:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/394042 (N. nubilus group, incl. nymphs)
http://bugguide.net/node/view/96489 (N. nubilus adults)
https://ag.tennessee.edu/EPP/Cotton%20Insects/Cotton%20Insects%20Clouded%20Plant%20Bug.pdf (considered a cotton insect)
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/bugs/mirid/mirid.htm (plant bugs, incl. N. nubilus)
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2741080/#page/701/mode/1up (life history)
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2741032/#page/653/mode/1up (hosts)

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