Classification
Aphidinae: Aphidini
Common name(s)
Mealy plum aphid
Diagnosis
Apterae are small to medium-sized, body rather elongate, pale-green, mottled with darker green, always covered with white waxy meal. Colonies are found on the undersurface of leaves. Infested leaves do not curl. Both alatae and apterae have green abdomen with white wax patches on each segment. Dark pink aphids with similar wax coating are found in the same colony.
Antennae 6-segmented, shorter than body, in apterae brownish from apical half of segment V onwards, rest pale, in alatae brown, darker from apical half of segment III onwards. Processus terminalis three times longer than the base of segment VI. Cauda almost twice as long as siphunculi, which gives the aphid an elongate appearance. Siphunculi slender without flange.
Distribution
Cosmopolitan (Europe, the Mediterranean region, Middle East, Central Asia, Pakistan, China). India: Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Host plant(s)
Poaceae: Arundo donax Georgi.
Measurements
Aptera: Length of body 1.65, width 0.73; antennae 1.39, segments III: IV: V: VI 0.31: 0.21: 0.18: (0.1+0.31); u.r.s. 0.07; h.t.2 0.11; siphunculus 0.07; cauda 0.14.
Alata: Length of body 1.99, width 0.71; antennae 1.60, segments III: IV: V: VI 0.32: 0.25: 0.18: (0.09+0.33); u.r.s. 0.08; h.t.2 0.10; siphunculus 0.09; cauda 0.17.
Seasonal occurrence
Aphid colonies found only in summer (April-May).
Natural enemies
Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Adalia tetraspilota (Hope), Cheilomenes sexmaculata (F.), Coccinella undecimpunctata L., Harmonia eucharis (Mulsant), Hippodamia variegata (Goeze), Oenopia kirbyi Mulsant, iO. conglobata (L.), O. quadripunctata Kapur, Propylea luteopustulata (Mulsant), Cryptogonus quadriguttatus (Weise).
Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae: Aphidius colemani Viereck.