British Bugs
HOME A BIT ABOUT BUGS GALLERY SYSTEMATIC LISTS RECORDING BUGS CONTACT US LINKS

Conostethus griseus
Family: Miridae

Conostethus species have a distinctiively shaped pronotum, which is much wider than long and has concave lateral margins.

C. griseus and brevis are saltmarsh species, feeding on various saltmarsh grasses such as Puccinellia maritima. The two species are extremely similar and are separable only on the basis of slight differences in head width, antennal length and body length.

C. brevis is a more northerly species, found on the east coasts of Scotland and northern England, while C. griseus has a more southerly distribution in East Anglia, western England and Wales. Whether they are really distinct taxa or are simply a single species exhibiting clinal variation is highly debatable.


Adult: June-July
Length 3.0 mm
Conostethus griseus
Adult: Essex (June 2015) ©Tristan Bantock


Conostethus griseus

Adult: Essex (June 2015) ©Tristan Bantock