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Ortholomus punctipennis Family: Lygaeidae This species resemembles a Nysius but the outer edge of the wings (costal margin) is straighter and less curved. O. punctipennis is also usually larger than all species of Nysius with the exception of N. helveticus. Females have a more characteristic appearance than males and are are usually markedly brachypterous. A strongly ground-dwelling species associated with hot, sparsely-vegetated sandy substrates, often with extensive cover of mosses and lichens, including sand dunes and lichen heath. Colonies are often very localised but it can sometimes be found in numbers. The bug is probably polphagous, feeding on the seeds of various plants. Always a rare species in Britain, with historic records from the south and east coasts of England and the east anglian breckland. In recent years the bug has been found at several new sites in Kent and has reappeared inland in the brecks, where it had not been seen since the 1980s. This suggests the species may be undergoing a resurgence, probably driven by immigration from the continent. Adult: ~All year Length 4.5 - 5.8 mm
	Adult female: Mallorca (September 2011) ©Tristan Bantock
Adult female: Kent (July 2014) ©Tristan Bantock	Adult male: Kent (July 2014) ©Tristan Bantock
Adult male: Mallorca (September 2011) ©Tristan Bantock	Adults: Mallorca (September 2011) ©Tristan Bantock