Bug FAQBroken-backed Bug
Taylorilygus apicalis · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Miridae
Also called: Plant Bug
Source: Wikipedia
They are tiny, about 4 to 5 mm long and usually light green or tan with brown wings. Their wing tips bend down at a 45° angle, giving them the name “broken-backed”. They feed on many plants, especially Asteraceae, Anthemis and willows, and can transmit a phytoplasma that causes phyllody in Parthenium.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The tips of the wings are bent downward about 45°, which is why they are called broken-backed bugs.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are about 4 to 5 mm long (0.16 to 0.20 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They live on a wide range of plants, especially those in the Asteraceae family, Anthemis and Salix species.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They are polyphagous plant feeders, preferring Asteraceae, Anthemis and willow species. They can act as vectors of a phytoplasma that causes phyllody in Parthenium plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
They are found throughout most of Europe, the Afrotropical, Australasian, Neotropical, Oriental, North American, and Oceanian regions.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, California, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada; introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Are they a problem for my garden?
Yes, they feed on garden plants like asters and willows and can spread a disease that harms Parthenium.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I recognize a broken-backed bug?
Look for a tiny (4 to 5 mm) green or tan bug with brown wings and wing tips bent down at about 45°.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Miridae)
North American Tarnished Plant BugLygus lineolarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red-spotted Plant BugDeraeocoris ruber
Alfalfa Plant BugAdelphocoris lineolatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Meadow Plant BugLeptopterna dolabrataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Four-lined Plant BugPoecilocapsus lineatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Lygus pratensisLygus pratensisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylorilygus_apicalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.