Aphis genistae is an aphid of the family Aphididae.[2]

Aphis genistae
Aphis genistae on flowers of Genista species
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
Family: Aphididae
Genus: Aphis
Species:
A. genistae
Binomial name
Aphis genistae
Scopoli 1763
Synonyms
  • Aphis genistae Kaltenbach, 1843[1]

Distribution

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This species can be found in most of Europe eastward to Ukraine and Turkey, and in the Nearctic realm (it has been introduced to North America).[3]

Description

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Aphis genistae can reach a length of 1.4–2.6 millimetres (0.055–0.102 in). Apterae are black, coated with wax meal, while alatae have 4-8 secondary rhinaria.[4]

Biology

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These insects mainly feed on small branches and flowers of Genista anglica, Genista lydia and Genista tinctoria (hence the species name),[5] but they have also been collected on Laburnum, Cytisus, Petteria, Spartium and Sophora species.[6] These aphids sometimes have a mutualistic relationship with ants. They are holocyclic (sex is involved, leading to egg production) and oviparae. Sexual females mate with the alate males in September to produce overwintering eggs.[4]

Bibliography

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  • Eastop, V.F.; Ris Lambers, D. Hille (1976). Junk, W. (ed.). Survey of the world's aphids. The Hague. ISBN 906193561X. OCLC 422331720.
  • Prieto, F.G.; Hidalgo, N.P.; Durante, M.P.M.; Nafria, J.M.N. (2004). "Updated check-list of Iberian-Balearic Aphidini (Hemiptera, Aphididae)". Graellsia. 60 (2): 197–214. doi:10.3989/graellsia.2004.v60.i2.215. ISSN 1989-953X.
  • Lambers, D. Hille Ris (1955). "On aphids from the Netherlands with descriptions of new species (Aphididae, Homoptera)". Tijdschrift voor Entomologie. 98 (4): 229–249.
  • Lambers, D. Hille Ris (1959). "Notes on European aphids with descriptions of new genera and species (Homoptera, Aphididae)". Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft. 32 (2–3): 271–286.
  • Jacob, F.H. (1945). "Note on the classification of the British species of "black aphides" (Hemiptera, Aphididae)". Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London, Series B. 14 (7): 102–110. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1945.tb00031.x.
  • Kaltenbach (1843), Monographie der Familien der Pflanzenläuse (Phytophthires), P. Fagot, Aachen 222 pp
  • Mordvilko, A.K. (1908). "Tableaux pour servir à la détermination des groupes et des genres des Aphididae Passerini". Ezegodnik Zoologiceskago Muzeja Imperatorskoj Nauk Sankt Peterburg. 13: 353–384.
  • Blackman, R.L.; Eastop, Victor F. (2008). Aphids on the World's Herbaceous Plants and Shrubs. Wiley. ISBN 9780470519592.
  • Remaudière, G.; Remaudière, M. (1997). Catalogue of the World's Aphididae. Techniques et pratiques. Paris: INRA. ISBN 2738007147.

References

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