Privet aphid
| Privet aphid | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Myzus ligustri | ||||||||||||
| ( Mosley , 1841) |
The privet aphid ( Myzus ligustri ) is a type of aphid . It lives exclusively (monophag) on privet ( Ligustrum ). The species lives in Europe and North America.
features
Like most aphids, the animals come in two forms (morphs), winged (Alatae) and wingless (Aptere). Both are yellow to yellowish green in color, the winged 1.5 to 1.8 millimeters long, the wingless slightly smaller, 1.2 to 1.5 millimeters. The Alatae have brownish antennae that are slightly longer than the body. The abdomen has brown spots and a brown horizontal stripe. The wingless ones are monochromatic light and have light colored antennae that are shorter than the body. The siphons or siphunculi (tubular organs on the abdomen from which fluid can be separated) are relatively long and vase-shaped (slightly swollen under the middle). Both have a short proboscis that does not reach the middle hips.
Infestation pattern
The privet aphid produces galls on privet leaves. The leaves roll up along the underside, forming a tube in which the aphids live. Affected leaves are discolored yellowish green. Only freshly sprouted leaves are attacked. Later in the year, infected leaves are usually shed prematurely.
Host plants
In addition to the common privet , the oval-leaved privet Ligustrum ovalifolium , which is often planted in Europe, may also be accepted. In North America there are indications of a host change in summer, which is not reported in Europe. Ornamental and cut hedges are very often colonized in gardens and settlements.
Pest development and control
The pests overwinter as eggs on the shoots and, through the birth of living larvae, form several generations a year, all of which remain on the privet. Therefore, if there is an infestation, a strong pruning in spring is recommended, which usually decimates the population. If the infestation is very strong, chemical spraying measures can be carried out, although it should be noted that aphids have many natural enemies and these should not be affected by products that damage beneficial organisms. Systemic sprays can be used which are absorbed by the plant and passed on to the pests via the plant sap. Contact spray is usually not enough, as the lice are hidden on the underside of the leaves that have already been rolled up.
swell
- Preston Walter Mason (1940): A revision of the North American aphids of the genus Myzus. US Department of Agriculture, Miscellaneous Publication No. 371.
- DV Alford: Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers: A Color Handbook. Academic Press, 2012
Individual evidence
- ^ Ecological Flora of the British Isles
- ^ Jacques Lambinon & Nico Schneider (2004): Contribution à la connaissance des galles d'hémiptères (Insecta, Hemiptera) du Luxembourg. Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes luxembourgeois 105: 109-132.
Web links
- Myzus (Nectarosiphon) ligustri at Fauna Europaea