Tarnished Plant Bug vs Blue-Green Sharpshooter

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tarnished Plant Bug Blue-Green Sharpshooter
Scientific Name Lygus lineolaris Graphocephala atropunctata
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Miridae Cicadellidae
Size 5-7 mm 6-8 mm
Habitat Farmland Orchards
Diet Fruit Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tarnished Plant Bug

A small, mottled brown and green plant bug that is one of the most damaging agricultural pests in North America. It feeds on over 300 plant species, causing distorted growth and blemished fruits. The adults are strong fliers that readily colonize new fields.

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Did You Know?

Its feeding injects a toxin that destroys plant cells around the feeding site, causing the characteristic dimpled, scarred appearance on strawberries known as 'catfacing.'

Blue-Green Sharpshooter

A strikingly colored blue-green leafhopper native to the western US. It is an important vector of Pierce's disease in California vineyards.

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Did You Know?

Despite its tiny size, it can transmit the devastating Xylella bacterium that kills grapevines and other crops.