Stenacidia violacea is moderately common and widespread and, as its name suggests, is violet in colour. Males reach 0.5 mm in length whereas females grow to 0.7 mm.
     In
Stenacidia violacea (as well as all Sminthurides species), the male antenna is modified to grasp the female during mating and the long spine on the second antennal segment (ant2) is curved (Figs. 1, 2). Females do not possess sub-anal appendages (SAA). The fourth antennal segment in the female is not divided into subsegments (Fig. 3). The mucro is long and thin without lamellae (Fig. 4). A tibiotarsal organ (tt organ) is present on the third leg (Fig. 5) and the empodium of the foot is shorter than the claw (Fig. 6).
     The map includes a few records under the name
Jeannenotia stachi but this is now recognised to be a junior synonym of Stenacidia violacea. The species is found in a variety of habitats including agricultural crops.

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Fig. 1 (above) and 2 (below): Antenna of a male Stenacidia violacea at two levels of magnification collected from Berwick St. James in September 1968 by Harold Gough.

Fig. 3 (above): Antenna of a female Stenacidia violacea collected Damerhan, Hampshire in May 1979 by Harold Gough. The fourth segment (ant4) is not divided into subsegments.

Fig. 4 (above): Mucro of Stenacidia violacea collected from Wisley in July 1966 by D.H. Murphy.

Fig. 5 (above): Tibiotarsal (tt) organ on the third leg of the same specimen of  Stenacidia violacea shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 (above): Foot of the third leg of the same specimen of  Stenacidia violacea shown in Fig. 5.