Diet

• Adults and nymphs: Primarily plant-feeding, using their piercing-sucking mouthparts to obtain plant sap from leaves, stems, flowers and developing plant tissues.

• The biology of many Keltonia species is not well documented, and specific host-plant associations are known for only some species.

• They are small foliage-dwelling bugs and may also visit flowers and other nutrient-rich plant tissues.

Range

• Keltonia is a genus of plant bugs (Miridae) in the subfamily Phylinae, tribe Phylini, subtribe Keltoniina.

• The genus is primarily Nearctic and Mexican, with species occurring in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.

• They are occasionally sighted in Zihua, although the genus is much less conspicuous than many of the larger plant bugs.

Habitat

• Found in grasslands, open woodland, scrub, meadows, forest edges and other habitats supporting suitable herbaceous vegetation.

• Adults are generally associated with foliage and flowering plants, where their small size allows them to remain inconspicuous.

• Around Zihua, search carefully through low vegetation, grasses, shrubs and flowering plants, particularly in open areas and forest margins.

• Their relatively subdued colouration can make them difficult to detect without close examination.

Size

• Keltonia species are small plant bugs, generally only a few millimetres long.

• The body is typically oval to somewhat elongate, with relatively long antennae and legs.

• Colouration varies among species and may include pale green, yellowish, brown, reddish-brown or darker markings.

• As members of Miridae, adults possess the characteristic cuneus at the tip of the forewing.