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Sticker of Broken-backed bug
Bug card No. 0641 of 4,939

Broken-backed bug

Taylorilygus apicalis
Eats: PlantsTrue bugs and cicadasGardens and meadows6 legs

The broken-backed bug is a tiny pale green plant bug. The tips of its wings bend down, so its back looks like it has been snapped. It has light, almost white eyes.

Lives in
Almost all over the world: Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas and Pacific islands
Length
4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.2 in)
Top speed
about 0.13 km/h (0.08 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
It sucks juice from many plants, mostly from the daisy family, chamomile and willow.
For real!Photo of Broken-backed bug
Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Broken-backed bug about 5 mm long (0.2 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)
small enough to sit on your fingernailcould run across a dinner table in 28 seconds

How big is Broken-backed bug compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its wing tips bend down at an angle, which gave it its name.

2

Some are tan instead of green, with brown wing patches.

3

It can carry a plant disease that turns the flowers of some plants into leafy bits.

you asked

Most asked questions about Broken-backed bug

?Why is it called the broken-backed bug?

Because its wing tips bend down, so its back looks broken.

?Is the broken-backed bug harmful?

It is harmless to people, but it can spread a disease in some plants.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Taylorilygus apicalis
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Miridae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Miridae
Lives on
Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, North America, South America

Where the facts come from

  1. Taylorilygus apicalis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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