ABSTRACT
The family Miridae, commonly called plant bugs, is the largest of all heteropteran families, containing well over a third of the known species. It is estimated that the world fauna will approach 20,000 once the neotropical species are fully studied. In this catalog, we treat about 223 genera and 1,930 species from Canada and the continental United States. Plant bugs range in size from about 1.5 mm for certain species of the spider web-inhabiting genus Ranzovius Distant or brachypterous forms of the garden fleahopper, Halticus bractatus, to more than 15 mm in neotropical species of Platytylus Fieber. Mirids generally are fragile, delicate bugs, characterized by 4-segmented antennae, 4-segmented rostrum, 2 or 3-segmented tarsi, a single dorsal-abdominal scent gland, lack of ocelli, asymmetrical male parameres, hemelytral membrane with two closed cells, and a distinct cuneus at the apex of the corium in macropterous forms.
