Tube aphids

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Tube aphids
A colony of oleander aphids (Aphis nerii)

A colony of oleander aphids ( Aphis nerii )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Schnabelkerfe (Hemiptera)
Subordination : Plant lice (Sternorrhyncha)
Superfamily : Aphids (Aphidoidea)
Family : Tube aphids
Scientific name
Aphididae
Latreille , 1802
Large rose aphid ( Macrosiphum rosae ), winged (alate) form
Black bean louse ( Aphis fabae )

The tube aphids or tube lice (Aphididae) are a family of plant lice (Sternorrhyncha) and belong to the superfamily of aphids (Aphidoidea). With around 2,000 species, they represent the largest family of aphids. Around 650 species occur in Central Europe .

features

The lice reach a body length of 1 to 8 millimeters. They have a soft body that is usually green, brown, or red in color. Like all aphids, they have two long siphons ( siphunculi ) on their abdomen with which they can excrete a defensive fluid. Their long antennae usually have four to six segments, rarely less. They have a proboscis and only very small compound eyes . Not all individuals have wings. When these are present, the fore wings, which have four to six veins, are larger than the hind wings. Their legs are short or long and thin, depending on the species.

Way of life

Green aphids feed on phytophagus by sucking sap from their host plants. They can usually be found on the soft, unwooded or less woody areas of the plants and on the leaves. Like many other aphids, they also excrete honeydew because they cannot absorb as many carbohydrates , but are dependent on amino acids in the plant sap. That is why they are "milked" by ants .

The winged animals are often transported far by the wind and can thus colonize areas further away. The wingless shapes are sluggish and move slowly. You can't jump either.

development

The tube aphids, like the other aphids, show a change between sexual and asexual reproduction through virgin generation ( parthenogenesis ). All species have both winged (aptere) and winged (alate) forms, with the former serving for mass reproduction and the latter for distribution and host change . This development is different depending on the species. In one group, the winged forms change the host plant, e.g. B. the black bean aphid ( Aphis fabae ). The other group develops in the same way, but the sexual generations live together on the same plant with the asexual one, e.g. B. the green apple aphid ( Aphidula pomi ). The succession of generations begins with eggs laid in autumn, the larvae of which hatch early in spring after overwintering.

The reproductive rate of green aphids is enormous. A new generation is fully trained within a week, which means that numerous generations can provide for offspring each year.

Harmful effect

Numerous types of tube aphids can cause considerable damage in agriculture : on the one hand, because they occur in large colonies and weaken the plants by sucking their sap, on the other hand, viruses can also be transmitted through the penetration of the proboscis . In addition, the excreted honeydew enables mold to settle , which can cause damage to the plant in addition to creating a dark coating. However, since the aphids have numerous enemies that feed on them, such damage is limited outside of human monocultures .

Types (selection)

Web links

Commons : Green Aphids  - Collection of images, videos and audio files