Macrolophus pygmaeus

{{Expand German|topic=scitech|Macrolophus pygmaeus|date=July 2019}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = 20170611 Macrolophus pygmeus Lohja Finland Petro Pynnönen.jpg

| genus = Macrolophus

| species = pygmaeus

| authority = (Rambur, 1839)

| synonyms = {{Species list

| Macrolophus brevicornis | Knight, 1926

}}

| synonyms_ref =

}}

Macrolophus pygmaeus is a species of plant bug in the family Miridae. It is found in Europe except the high north, south to north Africa and east to Asia Minor then to Central Asia. This species is omnivorous, preying on Tuta absoluta eggs and larvae,{{cite journal |last1=Chailleux |first1=Anaïs |last2=Wajnberg |first2=Eric |last3=Zhou |first3=Yuxiang |last4=Amiens-Desneux |first4=Edwige |last5=Desneux |first5=Nicolas |title=New parasitoid-predator associations: female parasitoids do not avoid competition with generalist predators when sharing invasive prey |journal=Die Naturwissenschaften |date=December 2014 |volume=101 |issue=12 |pages=1075–1083 |doi=10.1007/s00114-014-1246-3 |pmid=25331170 |bibcode=2014NW....101.1075C |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25331170/ |issn=1432-1904}} Ephestia kuehniella eggs, Macrosiphum euphorbiae nymphs,{{cite journal |last1=Sylla |first1=Serigne |last2=Brévault |first2=Thierry |last3=Diarra |first3=Karamoko |last4=Bearez |first4=Philippe |last5=Desneux |first5=Nicolas |title=Life-History Traits of Macrolophus pygmaeus with Different Prey Foods |journal=PLOS ONE |date=21 November 2016 |volume=11 |issue=11 |pages=e0166610 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0166610 |language=en |issn=1932-6203|doi-access=free |pmid=27870857 |pmc=5117678 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1166610S }} and plants such as Vicia fava. When feeding on plants, M. pygmaeus consumes extrafloral nectar.{{cite journal |last1=Portillo |first1=Nati |last2=Alomar |first2=Oscar |last3=Wäckers |first3=Felix |title=Nectarivory by the plant-tissue feeding predator Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Heteroptera: Miridae): nutritional redundancy or nutritional benefit? |journal=Journal of Insect Physiology |date=March 2012 |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=397–401 |doi=10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.12.013 |pmid=22245441 |bibcode=2012JInsP..58..397P |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22245441/ |access-date=25 August 2023 |issn=1879-1611}} Its varied diet has created interest in M. pygmaeus as a pest control insect for the prior mentioned species.

Seismic communication

Males use vibrational communication in their courtship process, actively walking down the host plant until a female is found. Macrolophus pygmaeus males produce a vibrational sound called a “yelp” that is associated with male-male interactions. The yelp is also associated with physical contact between the two males, and then the males running away while emitting yelps. The duration of the signal as well can affect the female’s response, and it was shown that females typically prefer longer calls.{{Cite journal|last1=Gemeno|first1=César|last2=Baldo|first2=Giordana|last3=Nieri|first3=Rachele|last4=Valls|first4=Joan|last5=Alomar|first5=Oscar|last6=Mazzoni|first6=Valerio|date=July 2015|title=Substrate-Borne Vibrational Signals in Mating Communication of Macrolophus Bugs|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10905-015-9518-0|journal=Journal of Insect Behavior|language=en|volume=28|issue=4|pages=482–498|doi=10.1007/s10905-015-9518-0|bibcode=2015JIBeh..28..482G |hdl=10459.1/72205|s2cid=86053|issn=0892-7553|hdl-access=free}}

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