About Creontiades dilutus (Stal, 1859)
Creontiades dilutus, commonly known as the green mirid, is a member of the bug family Miridae, which is the largest bug family with over 10,000 species. This insect is a generalist feeder that feeds on more than 100 plant species, and is also a major economic pest affecting several important agricultural crops. The green mirid is endemic to Australia, and can be found across the entire continent, including Tasmania. It occurs throughout the hot, arid interior of Australia, and is particularly abundant in these interior regions during the southern hemisphere winter, especially when winter rain is higher than average. During summer months, the Australian interior is very hot and dry, with very few plants available for green mirids to feed on; only a small number of individuals persist in this region over summer. In eastern Australia's cropping regions, winter temperatures are too cold to support green mirid growth and development, and only very low numbers of individuals survive the winter in these areas. Summer conditions in the eastern cropping regions are ideal for green mirid growth and development, and large populations can build up rapidly there. Anecdotal observations note that green mirids often appear in large numbers in cropping regions after storm fronts or other weather events that originate in inland Australia. Genetic evidence supports this anecdotal observation, and confirms that inland and coastal green mirid populations in Australia are genetically connected.
