Family Miridae – Plant Bugs

220 UK species. Also called capsid bugs, mirid bugs, grass bugs and leaf bugs, Miridae is the largest family of true bugs belonging to the suborder Heteroptera. At 2-11 mm long, they are a very diverse group, delicate and soft-bodied, oval or elongate in body shape. Most of them are plant feeders, piercing plant tissues and sucking the sap which can earn them pest status in the world of agriculture. Some species however, are predators of other insects and other arthropods.