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"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important" |
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Brachycaudus lucifugusShort-tailed plantain aphidOn this page: Identification & Distribution![]() ![]() ![]() Identification & Distribution:Adult apterae of Brachycaudus lucifugus are yellowish-green with a shiny dark brown to black dorsum (see first picture below). The dorsal patch is often broken into cross-bands. Abdominal tergite 8 bears 4 very short (less than 10 μm) hairs in a single row, like the dorsal hairs on more anterior segments.
The Brachycaudus lucifugus alate does not have broad cross bands or a large dark patch on the dorsal abdomen, but has transverse bars on tergites 7 and 8 with rarely a few sclerotic spots forming lines on tergites 4-6 only.
The clarified slide mounts below are of adult viviparous female Brachycaudus lucifugus : wingless, and winged.
Micrographs of clarified mounts The short-tailed plantain aphid lives on roots, and root collar, and at the leaf bases of ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata). There is no host alternation. Brachycaudus lucifugus is usually ant attended, as in the second picture above. Oviparae and small apterous males can be found in autumn. In England it is restricted to southern counties. Elsewhere in Europe Brachycaudus lucifugus is known from Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Switzerland. Biology & Ecology:We have only found Brachycaudus lucifugus in one coastal location - at Birling Gap in East Sussex - where its host plant, ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) (see pictures below) grows in abundance.
Brachycaudus lucifugus certainly lives up to its Latin name, 'lucifugus' meaning 'fleeing from light', making it quite difficult to collect and photograph. As soon as a colony is revealed, usually on the root collar, the aphids disappear into the surrounding soil at high speed. This is especially the case for adults - hence our less than impressive photos in this case. Stroyan (1964) Stroyan (1964) Other aphids on the same hostBlackman & Eastop list 16 species of aphid Of those aphid species, Baker (2015) The only species we have found feeding on Plantago lanceolata is Aphis plantaginis, another plantain root specialist (see picture below), which occurred together with Brachycaudus lucifugus in the same habitat. Aphis plantaginis is not, however, restricted to Plantago lanceolata, being equally common on other species such as hoary plantain (Plantago media). Also the populations of Aphis plantaginis that we have found were tended by a different ant species - Lasius niger rather than Lasius flavus.
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