Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Miridae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Heteroptera Genus Phylus | |
 | ||
Similar Pilophorus cinnamopterus, Pilophorus perplexus, Megalocoleus tanaceti, Amblytylus nasutus, Phytocoris tiliae | ||
Phylus melanocephalus is a European species of plant bugs belonging to the family Miridae, subfamily Phylinae. It is a slender bug 4.5–6 millimetres (0.18–0.24 in) long and feeds on oak trees. Its colour ranges from orange to greenish-brown and its head may be pale or dark.
"Phylus palliceps"
Paler specimens of P. melanocephalus were long referred to as separate species Phylus palliceps, distinguished in particular by having a pale head, P. melanocephalus being restricted to insects with a dark head. Pagola-Carte et al. (2005) found no morphological or habitat differences between specimens referred to the two supposed species, and a continuous gradation of colour, and concluded the two should be synonymised.
References
Phylus melanocephalus Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA