Bug ID #2

[sebastianbawn]

Found in Bristol on some stinging nettles. Approx 4-6mm. Thinking it may be a possible Liocoris tripustulatus?

[runnerwill]

Yup that's the one

[sebastianbawn]

Thanks Runnerwill. The only reservation I have on this ID is that the below photo which looks almost identical was Id'd as Deraeocoris flavilinea. Can anyone tell me the difference??

[Acutipuerilis]

Like many mirids, they're superficially similar, but with a bit of experience you'll start seeing these are glaringly different beasties.

For starters, the markings are distinctly different on the wings. Once you've seen a few hundred Liocoris you get a feel for the variation in the markings, but there is almost always a darker area near the cuneus and another near the scutellum on each side; you don't get those in D. flavilinea. Deraeocoris also has a much more pointed head, which tends to be bright orange, and the markings on the pronotum and scutellum are significantly different. The legs and antennae are banded, but not quite in the same way. And to make life really easy, D. flavilinea is about twice the size!

hope that's useful for starters... ideally, to see the differences you want higher resolution photos to start on. Once you're familiar with them, you spot them with lower resolution. Part of the reason it's a bit confusing here is that the Liocoris image is quite low-res, so you don't get to see as much as you might.

Cheers,
Joe

[sebastianbawn]

Hi Joe,
Wow thanks for the info. Its great to learn such detailed info from people like yourself. I am always looking to learn more and I am just thankful that people out there are willing to teach. Thank you too Runnerwill!