Genus Cinara

Cinara acutirostris apterae are dark brown to pale bronze, with a pattern of dark markings, a pale grey longitudinal line of wax dust and lateral wax patches on the dorsum. The appearance of the species is very similar to Cinara pini so we give several discriminating characteristics. The combined length of the last two rostral segments (RIV+V) is 1.2 to 1.5 times the length of the second tarsal segment (cf. Cinara pini which has the length of RIV+V less than 1.2 times the length of the second tarsal segment). Also the length of RV is more than 3 times its basal width (cf. Cinara pini where the length of RV is less than 3 times its basal width). The siphuncular cones of Cinara acutirostris are large, prominent and black. There are several rather long hairs up to 100 µm long between the siphuncular cones (cf. Cinara pini where the longest hairs are only 6-50 µm long.) The body length of adult apterae is 2.6-4.1 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara anelia have the body dark brown to dark gray to black, with wax patterning on the thorax and abdomen (cf. Cinara atra, which has no wax). The wax may rub off, especially on the adults (see two pictures below), giving the aphid a mottled gray, brown and black appearance. The antennae have segments I and II pale, segments III-V basally light and gradually darkening distally, and segment VI dark throughout. Rostral segment IV has 4-8 accessory hairs (cf. Cinara edulis and Cinara atra, which have 11-22 and 10-17 accessory hairs respectively; and Cinara puerca and Cinara tanneri, which have 50-116 and 30-40 accessory hairs respectively). The femora tend to darken distally, the tibiae are pale but darken proximally and distally, and the tarsi are dark. The abdomen is smooth with rather dense hairs of variable length. There are no sclerites on abdominal tergite III (cf. Cinara caliente, which has large sclerites on all tergites including on tergite III). Tergites VII- VIII each have a pair of pale or dark sclerites encompassing the bases of several hairs (cf. Cinara terminalis, which has tergites VII & VIII with hairs arising from small scleroites). The siphunculi are well delimited, and have large, dark sclerotic cones. Immature Cinara anelia always have extensive wax patterning.

Images above copyright Jesse Rorabaugh, no rights reserved.

Adult apterae of Cinara apini are described as dark brown mottled with wax powder on spinal and marginal areas and intersegmentally (cf. Cinara flexilis, which has no wax powder on the dorsum). Our pictures suggest that dorsum may also have patches of chestnut brown. The appendages are mainly yellowish to dusky, apart from the distal two-thirds of the tibiae which are black. The hairs on the hind tibia are rather spine-like, and those on the dorsal side are less than 0.5 times as long as half the diameter of the tibia (cf. Cinara villosa which has the hairs on the hind tibia finer and more numerous, 0.6 to 1.5 times the diameter of the tibia). The second hind tarsal segment is less than 1.5 times the length of the penultimate rostral segment (RIV). The siphuncular cones are dark, with the diameter of the siphuncular cone greater than the length of the second hind tarsal segment (HTII) (cf. Cinara flexilis, which has the diameter of the cone less than half the length of HTII). The body length of adult Cinara apini apterae is 3.2-4.0 mm.

Images reproduced by permission copyright Chen et al., all rights reserved.

The colour of Cinara apini alate females (see third picture above) is dark brown to black on the head and thorax, reddish-brown on the abdomen, with a light wax covering on the head and thorax.

Cinara brauni apterae (see first picture below) are golden brown with a thick dusting of white wax powder which contrasts with an extensive shiny sclerotized dark patch on abdominal tergites 5-7 encompassing the siphunculi. The body length of Cinara brauni apterae is 2.7-3.8 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara cedri are dark bronze or reddish-brown with a distinctive but variable pattern of white wax. There is usually a spinal white wax stripe, and paired dorso-lateral segmental patches, the latter sometimes extending as serial bands across the abdomen as in the aptera pictured below (cf. Cinara confinis which are greenish-black (see first picture below) or dark brown, with a double row of blackish slightly shining speckles and small flecks of fine wax in transverse rows). The antennae are 6-segmented (cf. Cinara laportei which has 5-segmented antennae). The aptera has 0-1 secondary rhinaria on antennal segment III, and antennal segment IV is longer than segment VI (cf. Cinara deodarae in which the aptera has about 5 secondary rhinaria on segment III, and segment IV is shorter than segment VI). Cinara cedri has mostly long hairs on the body and appendages, with the longest hairs on antennal segment III more than twice as long as the basal diameter of the segment (cf. Cinara curvipes which has short hairs, with the longest hairs on antennal segment III being about as long as the basal diameter of that segment). The siphuncular cones are black. The body length of adult Cinara cedri apterae is 2.5-3.8 mm.

Both images above copyright Ivan Pančić, all rights reserved.

Apterae of Cinara confinis are greenish-black (see first picture below) or dark brown, with a double row of blackish slightly shining speckles and small flecks of fine wax in transverse rows. The head and thoracic plates are dark brown, with some wax markings on the thoracic plates. The length of the sclerotized part of the stylet groove is greater than 1.8 mm. The antennae of Cinara confinis are pale yellowish-grey with a darkening of each segment distally. The length of the fifth antennal segment, including the terminal process, is clearly longer than the fourth antennal segment. The tibiae are only slightly bowed (cf. Cinara curvipes in which the tibiae are noticeably long and bowed). The femora and tibia either have dark brown annulations or are mainly black, and the tarsi are black. The siphuncular cones are dark and prominent (cf. Cinara pectinatae which has small pale siphunculi). The body length is 3.8-7.8 mm

Cinara costata apterae are usually wax-covered; young adults have characteristic sausage-shaped rings of wax on the dorsal cuticle (see first picture below). Under the wax they are light brown or yellow-brown, sometimes with a dull metallic golden sheen, and with a pair of wax-covered dark bottle-green dorsal longitudinal stripes which sometimes coalesce at about the level of the siphuncular cones. The rather uniform yellow-brown ground colour is good identification characteristic for unwaxed colonies. The terminal rostral segments (R IV+V) are longer than the second segment of the hind tarsus (HTII), and HTII is shorter than maximum diameter of the large dark prominent siphuncular cones (cf. Cinara pilicornis which has R IV+V shorter than HTII, and HTII is longer than the maximum diameter of the small, rather pale siphuncular cones). The prominent siphuncular cones are dark brown and usually spaced three or more diameters apart (cf. Cinara pruinosa which has the prominent blackish siphuncular cones two diameters or less apart). The body length of adult Cinara costata apterae is 2.7-3.8 mm.

Both images above copyright Anders Albrecht under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Adult apterae of Cinara cuneomaculata are darkish brown to orange-reddish (see two pictures below), sometimes with dark green segmental markings. There is usually a dusting of greyish wax powder on the ventral surface of adults which may (rarely) extend as stripes on to the dorsum of the abdomen. Small, hair-bearing sclerites are absent (cf. Cinara laricis which has numerous small black hair-bearing sclerites). The fourth rostral segment is from 0.15 to 0.25 mm in length (cf. Cinara kochiana which has the fourth rostral segment 0-29-0.42 mm long). The siphuncular cones are small. The legs have the hind tibiae dark for up to two thirds their length; the femora are mostly dark brown but paler proximally. The body length is 2.4-4.6 mm.

Cinara cupressi apterae (see first picture below) are mainly orange brown to yellowish brown, with blackish markings diverging back from the thorax. There are only 4-6 hairs on the basal half of antennal segment six (cf. Cinara fresai which has 7-12 hairs in this position). In life the dorsum is dusted with pale grey wax making a pattern of rather interrupted cross-bands. The whole aphid is clothed with fine hairs. There is also a rather indistinct blackish band between the black siphuncular cones. The distal parts of the femora and the bases of the tibiae are dark brown or black (cf. Cinara tujafilina which has the femora pale, and tibiae wholly pale or dark only at apices). The body length of Cinara cupressi apterae is 1.8-3.9 mm.

Cinara curvipes apterae are shiny or dull grey-black sometimes developing a covering of pale grey wax especially on the thorax and along each side of the dorsum. The abdomen usually has a broad sclerotized cross band on VIII. The siphuncular cones are black with the maximum diameter of the base of the cones more than 3 times the aperture. The coxae are dark brown to black. The fore and mid-tibiae are pale yellow but are dark at the apices. The hind tibiae are mainly dark but with a pale section at the base; they are long and curved giving the English name bow-legged fir aphid. The body length is 3.4 - 5.5 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara edulis are cinnamon brown to dark brown to gun-metal or black (see pictures below of cinnamon brown form). There is a distinct medial abdominal wax stripe (rather faint on the specimens below), and light powdering elsewhere, especially just anterior to the siphunculi, but the wax may be rubbed off (cf. Cinara atra, which has no wax). The antenna have segment I, the distal tips of III-V, and all of VI dark. The rostrum is quite long, with moderate pigmentation, and its last segment (RIV) has 12-20 accessory hairs (cf. Cinara caliente, Cinara terminalis, Cinara wahtolca & Cinara anelia all of which have 4-8 accessory hairs on RIV). All the femora are lightly pigmented, with a gradual distal darkening over the entire length, and tibiae are dark at the apices; tarsi are dark. The abdominal dorsum is smooth, with sclerites only on segment VII (cf. Cinara caliente, Cinara terminalis, Cinara wahtolca & Cinara anelia, all of which usually have sclerites on both tergites VI & VII). The siphunculi are usually clearly delimited and dark, but occasionally lightly pigmented, or with two levels of pigmentation. The siphuncular cones have 10-41 hairs scattered over their surface, and are much longer than those on abdominal tergite V. (cf. Cinara atra, whose siphuncular cones have 5-15 hairs located around the cone's basal edge, similar in size and shape to those on tergite V). Tergite VIII has hairs along the posterior edge only. The body length of adult Cinara edulis apterae is 2.5-4.0 mm.

Images above copyright Jesse Rorabaugh under a public domain (CCO) licence.

Adult apterae of Cinara fornacula are pale translucent green, or less commonly pale brown or orange. They are usually lightly wax-dusted ventrally and laterally. The antennae are mainly yellow-brown but apices of segments V and VI are dark. The hairs on antennal segment III are about the same length as the diameter of that segment. The legs are mainly pale yellow brown with pale hairs, but the tips of the tibiae and the tarsi are dusky or dark, as are the terminal segments of the rostrum (cf. Cinara atripes and Cinara rara which have at least the hind tibiae uniformly pigmented). The second hind tarsal segment is exceptionally long and curved, about equal to or longer than antennal segment III. The siphuncular cones are very pale, no darker than the abdomen (cf. most other Cinara species on spruce (Picea) which have the siphunculi darker than the abdomen). The cauda and anal plate are dusky. The body length of adult Cinara fornacula apterae is 3.1-4.5 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara fresai (see pictures below) are pinkish-grey to dark brownish-grey or greenish-grey. They are dusted with white wax down the midline and laterally, quite thickly on the thoracic segments but less heavily on the abdominal segments. They have paired black patches on thoracic and anterior abdominal tergites diverging in an inverted "V". The body and appendages are clothed with long pale hairs. The base of antennal segment VI has 7-12 hairs not restricted to the basal half (cf. Cinara cupressi which has 4-7 hairs restricted to the basal half ). Rostral segment IV has 5-7 accessory hairs (see micrograph below) (cf. Cinara cupressi which has 2-4 hairs on RIV). The distal parts of the hind femora are dusky or dark (cf. Cinara tujafilina which has hind femora pale). The bases and apices of the hind tibiae are dusky or dark but with a paler area in between (cf. Cinara juniperi which has the hind tibiae uniformly dark). The body length of adult Cinara fresai apterae is 2.2-4.2 mm.

The apterae of Cinara hottesi (see first picture below) are dull bluish-black in life. There is no wax deposit on the body. The dull black of the body is in sharp contrast to the mainly yellowish-orange appendages. The last two rostral segments (RIV+V) are 0.24 to 0.36 mm in length and the third antennal segment has no secondary rhinaria. The hind tibia is about 1.80-1.85 mm. in length, and the second hind tarsal segment is about 0.28 mm. The hairs on the outer side of the hind tibia are quite long (up to 0.12 mm) and markedly longer than the width of the hind tibia at midpoint (see second micrograph below). The siphuncular cones are pigmented and much darker than the rest of the cuticle. The body length of is 3.0-3.5 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara hyperophila (see first picture below) are shiny, dark brown to black with a metallic lustre which, especially in juveniles (see second picture below), can be very conspicuous. The head, thorax and abdominal underside have a fairly thick grey wax dusting. On the abdomen there is usually a spinal wax streak, spreading along the segment borders as well as rounded pre-siphuncular wax patches. Antennal segment III-V have 0-2, 0-2 and 0-3 secondary rhinaria respectively. The apical rostral segment is 0.80-0.97 times the length of the second hind tarsal segment. The legs and antennae are predominantly dark brown to black (cf. Cinara pinea, which has mainly dusky or pale legs). Although the abdomen is very dark, there is little sclerotization, this being restricted to intersegmental muscle sclerites, small scleroites on tergites V & VI, and broken or unbroken cross bars on VII and VIII. Abdominal hairs are long, and erect, most of them not originating from scleroites (cf. Cinara pinea and Cinara pilosa, both of which have many hairs arising from scleroites). The femoral hairs are rather short, erect or semierect, those on the tibiae are short and oblique. The siphunculi are black, and not very prominent. The body length of adult Cinara hyperophila apterae is 2.5–3.5 mm.

Images above copyright Anders Albrecht under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Cinara juniperi apterae are rather more rounded in profile than most species. They are pinkish-brown under a variable thickness of fairly uniform wax dusting covering all the dorsum (cf. Cinara mordvilko where the posterior is wax free). The legs are dark brown to black and the hind tibiae are all dark. Antennal segment V is less than 0.9 times the length of segment VI (cf. Cinara mordvilkoi which has antennal segment V 0.85-1.05 times the length of segment VI). The ratio of the length of the last two segments of the rostrum to the length of the second segment of the hind tarsus is 0.60 to 0.85. The hairs along the outer side of the hind tibia are at least 1.5 times (mostly 2 to 3 times) the diameter of the tibia in the middle. The chocolate brown. dark siphuncular cones are relatively large. The body length of the Cinara juniperi adult apterae is 2.1 to 3.4 mm.

Apterae of Cinara kochiana are greyish-brown to lead grey or greyish-green (see first picture below), and are slightly wax powdered. The dorsum shows a distinct dark flecked patterning of scleroites and there is often a spinal stripe. The extraordinary long rostrum is held curving underneath the body. The fourth rostral segment (R IV) is 0.29-0.42 mm long and bears 21-34 hairs arranged in 4 longitudinal rows (cf. Cinara cuneomaculata in which R IV is 0.15-0.25 mm long and bears 5-11 hairs arranged in 2 longitudinal rows). The siphuncular cones are small and black. The legs are hairy and the hind tibiae are uniformly brown/black. The body length of Cinara kochiana is 4.7-6.1 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara laportei are broadly oval and flattened dorso-ventrally, pale brown and grey with black segmental markings (see first picture below). The body surface is covered with short colourless clavate (=club-shaped) setae. These have been described as 'mace-like' because each one has numerous barbules arising from its swollen distal end (these can be seen on the live aphid in the first picture below and close-up in the third micrograph below). The aphid is often described as having a "narrow pale spinal stripe" from the head to the anterior abdomen. The apparent spinal (and sometimes dorso-lateral) stripes appear to result from an unusually high density of setae combined with a waxy (?) deposit. The siphuncular cones are quite large with darkened apices but are rather inconspicuous on the dark dorsum. Cinara laportei is a small species with the body length of adult apterae only 1.5-2.0 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara laricifex (see first picture below) are black to dark brown to red-brown to bronze. There is wax-dusting ventrally and sometimes a little intersegmentally, but there is little or no wax on the dorsum (however see description of immatures below). Cleared specimens of Cinara laricifex can be readily distinguished from those of the other species feeding on Larix by the apparent lack of setae on the dorsum of the abdomen - setae are present, but are very short (0.02-0.03 mm) and are sited on small flat sclerites. The apical rostral segments (RIV+V) are usually less than 0.7 times longer than the second hind tarsal segment (HTII). The femora are mainly dark, although paler right at the base. The hind tibiae have most of the basal half pale, the pale section occupying at least 0.25 of the total tibia length (cf. Cinara laricifoliae which has the hind tibia mainly dark with a short pale section towards the base of length less than 0.2 of the total length of the tibia). The siphuncular cones are black. The body length of adult Cinara laricifex apterae is 2.5-3.5 mm. Immatures (see second and third pictures below) are variably waxed, with some fourth instars having extensive wax markings intersegmentally, lateral wax patches and a dorsal longitudinal white stripe.

Images above by permission, copyright Claude Pilon, all rights reserved.

Adult apterae of Cinara laricis are dark greyish-brown to reddish brown, usually with a wax bloom (see first picture below). Abdominal tergites II - VI are speckled with numerous dark sclerites dorsally and the hairs arising from them are conspicuous (thick and spine-like with raised conical bases, see first picture below). Their siphuncular cones are blackish and conspicuous, but the pigmented radius may barely exceed the diameter of the opening. The body length is 3.0-5.1 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara mordvilkoi (see first picture below) are reddish yellow or light coffee brown, with a darker dorsum. The anterior part of the dorsum is covered with wax powder, mostly along borders between head and thoracic segments. The posterior dorsum is nearly without wax and is often more-or-less shiny (cf. Cinara juniperi, which have fairly uniform wax dusting covering all the dorsum). The underside is covered with fine wax powder. The legs are dark brown to black and the hind tibiae are all dark. Antennal segment V is slightly shorter than, or about the same length, as segment VI (0.85-1.05 times) (cf. Cinara juniperi, which has antennal segment V clearly shorter than segment VI (0.7-0.9 times). Abdominal tergite II is without spinopleural sclerites (cf. Cinara juniperi, which has spinopleural sclerites on abdominal tergite II.) The siphuncular cones are relatively large and dark brown. The body length of adult Cinara mordvilkoi apterae is 2.7-3.3 mm. (cf. Cinara juniperi, whose body length is often less than 2.7 mm).

Images above copyright Anders Albrecht (2017) under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Adult apterae of Cinara nigritergi are dark brown with extensive pleural grey wax markings, and are sometimes wax powdered along the dorsal midline. There is a large dull or subshining sclerite encompassing the siphunculi, and usually extending anteriorly to the mesothorax, with a separate transverse band on tergite VII (cf. Cinara brauni, which has a dorsal sclerite extending across abdominal tergites V-VII only, with a separate transverse band on tergite VIII; also cf. Cinara pini and Cinara acutirostris, on Pinus, which do not have any sclerites that are fused between segments, nor fused with the siphuncular cones). Hairs on the appendages and body are short, and rather sparse, as in Cinara pini (cf. Cinara pinihabitans, which has hairs that are denser and longer than in most pine-feeding Cinara species). The siphuncular cones are large and dark. The body length of adult Cinara nigritergi apterae is 2.5–4.0 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara nuda (in the first picture below, the two highly reflective dark brown aphids are adult) have the dorsal abdomen uniformly shiny dark brown with little or no wax, and without a pattern of dark markings (cf. Cinara pini where the dorsum has a pattern of dark markings interspersed with a coating of pale grey wax). Dorsal abdominal hairs are short and sparse. The antennal terminal process bears 5-7 hairs between the apex and the primary rhinarium (cf. Cinara pini where the antennal terminal process bears 4 hairs between the apex and the primary rhinarium). The body length of the adult Cinara nuda aptera is 3.3-4.3 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara obscura (see first picture below) are dark brown to black, with pale sections on the tibiae and basal parts of the fore and hind femora. They have paired, lightly sclerotized, broad black patches on the thoracic segments which continue unsclerotized (and hence not visible on the clarified slide mount) down the abdomen as far as the siphunculi. There are also four longitudinal rows of small brown spots dorsally on the abdomen, extending from the thorax to the area between the siphunculi, and two rows laterally, one on each side, around the spiracles. There is usually a partial spinal white wax stripe, and paired dorso-lateral segmental patches of white wax powder (none of which are visible on clarified mounts). The antennae are about 0.4 times the body length. Antennal segment VI is 0.12-0.14 mm, a little shorter than segment V. Secondary rhinaria are distributed 1-2 on segment III, 1-3 on segment IV, and 2 on segment V. The rostrum reaches to the hind coxae. The hind tibiae are less than 1.65 mm long (cf. Cinara hottesi, which has hind tibiae more than 1.65 mm long). Hairs on the hind tibiae are equal to or slightly less than the diameter of the tibia. There is no dark sclerotized crossband on tergite VIII (cf. Cinara pruinosa in Europe & North America, which has a crossband on tergite VIII). The siphunculi are set on large dark siphuncular cones. The second image below shows a clarified mount of an apterous vivipara. Immature Cinara obscura (see two first instars in first picture above) are a lighter, more orange-brown than the adults, with the younger instars having the spinal white wax stripe, and paired dorso-lateral segmental wax patches, more in evidence. The wax covering presumably enhances crypsis.

Images above by permission, copyright Claude Pilon, all rights reserved.

Available descriptions of this aphid of Cinara oregonensis are rather inadequate and sometimes conflicting. Wilson (1915) described adult apterae as shining brown, with the dorsum dusky to black, and (after mounting) with a dark black band from the base of the abdomen to the cauda. Palmer (1952) and subsequent authors described them as shining, light brick-red to rust-red. The images here show most apterae to be brick red with dusky pleural bands, but a few larger individuals (adults?) have the entire dorsum dusky to black (see dark aphid top of first picture below). The antennae are pale yellow with the apices of segments III-V and all of segment VI dark. The rostrum is long, reaching to the tip of the abdomen or slightly beyond. The abdomen has broad transverse sclerotized bars on tergites VII and VIII. The legs are mainly pale, but with knees, apices and distal two-thirds of the tibiae dusky. Hairs are fine, fairly numerous, erect, and on the tibiae are 1.5 times the tibial diameter. The siphuncular cones are black and rather small, each bearing 15-20 hairs. The cauda is rounded and dark. The body length of adult Cinara oregonensis apterae is 2.5-3.0 mm.

Images above copyright Ward Strong under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Apterae of Cinara pectinatae are large and (usually) the abdomen is shiny bright olive green, with three diffuse paler green longitudinal bands (see first picture below). There is also a brown form (see second picture below). The head and appendages are brown and the eyes are red. The abdomen has numerous small spots scattered over the entire dorsum. The siphuncular cones are small and pale. The legs are pale and spotted or mottled with brownish. The first hind tarsal segment is at least half as long as the second hind tarsal segment. The body length is 2.8 to 5.0 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara pergandei are large, globose, brown aphids, often shiny with a bronze lustre. They may or may not have wax powder, possibly dependent on whether they are ant-attended or not. Those shown here were not ant-attended, and were quite heavily dusted with wax powder (see first two pictures below). Most authors describe them as lacking any dorsal wax. Their eyes are on short lateral projections of the head, usually without any evident ocular tubercle. The hairs on antennal segment III are erect & long, 2.5-3 times the basal diameter of the segment. The dorsum is finely spotted with black (best seen in the clarified mount, third picture below). These spots are black scleroites at the base of many of the hairs, and are irregular and of varying size (cf. Cinara pinivora which usually has a large pair of dark sclerites or diffuse dusky areas on each tergite bearing several hairs). Abdominal tergite V has 50-110 hairs between the siphuncular bases, most of which are on small scleroites (cf. Cinara pinea, in which tergite V has 28-49 hairs between the siphuncular bases, most of them on large scleroites). The tibiae are rather uniformly dark, sometimes slightly less so near base (cf. Cinara pinea in which all the tibiae have a pale section on the basal half). The siphuncular cones are black. The body length of an adult Cinara pergandei aptera is 3.0-4.4 mm.

First two images above by permission, copyright Claude Pilon, all rights reserved.
Third image public domain from CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics(CC-0).

Apterae of Cinara piceae are uniformly jet black and are often described as "resembling the texture and shape of old droplets of tar". The anterior portion (their thoracic area) is shiny, whilst the abdomen is largely unsclerotised, indicating that the dark body colour is subcuticular. The spiracular openings are in a series of lateral depressions giving the abdomen a crenated appearance. The siphuncular cones are rather small with the sclerotized area usually no wider than twice the diameter of the rim. The coxae and tarsi are black. The hind femora are reddish brown and black distally. The body length of Cinara piceae is 4.5-6.7 mm.

Guest image (above-right), Copyright Ian Dawson, all rights reserved.

Apterae of Cinara piceicola have a dark brown head and thorax and pale olive-buff abdomen. In life there are two longitudinal faint greyish-green dorsal stripes and a thin white wax stripe between them (see first picture below). The dorsum is not wax powdered, but the underside of the body is mealy. The abdomen of the aptera has sclerotized areas on the dorsum consisting of a transverse segmented band on segments I-III and a broad cross band on VIII (see first picture below and first micrograph below that). A key distinguishing characteristic of Cinara piceicola is that the hairs on the outer side of the hind tibiae are all short - less than 0.12 mm long (cf. most other spruce feeding aphids in which all, or many, of those hairs are long, often greatly exceeding 0.12 mm.) The siphuncular cones are usually small and rather faintly pigmented (cf. Cinara pruinosa which have prominent black siphuncular cones). The body length of the adult aptera is 2.1-4.2 mm.

Beware: Cinara piceicola often form mixed species colonies with Cinara pruinosa so, to distinguish them, look carefully at the length of hairs on the tibia and the colour of siphunculi on adults.

Apterae of Cinara pilicornis come in two colour forms. The commonest form is a plain orange brown, but some are a greyish green (see section below for colour forms). The whole aphid is clothed with numerous fine hairs and is more or less covered with a dense mealy secretion. The legs are yellowish but the distal half of the hind femur is darker. The hind tibiae are pale, or at least paler basally and medially than at apex. Most of hairs on the outer side of the middle section of the hind tibia exceed 0.12 mm in length (cf. Cinara piceicola which has the hairs on the outer side of the hind tibiae all less than 0.12 mm long). The second hind tarsal segment is sickle shaped and longer than the maximum diameter of the siphuncular cones (cf. Cinara costata and Cinara pruinosa which have the second tarsal segment shorter than the maximum diameter of the cones). The siphunculi are small and pale brownish. Body length of the adult Cinara pilicornis aptera is 2.1-4.7 mm.

Apterae of Cinara pinea are shiny orange-brown early in the year (see first picture below) and grey or dark brown later on. The body is finely spotted with black and dusted with wax especially along the dorsal midline and laterally. The spots are black scleroite plates at the base of many of the hairs, especially on segment III-VI, and they are irregular, often confluent and of varying size. Siphuncular cones are small to medium sized and reddish-brown or dark brown. The body size of the large pine aphid is unusually large at 3.1-5.2 mm.

Apterae of Cinara pini are grey or greyish-green with black markings, and with either a slight bronze iridescence or a dusting of grey wax. The abdomen is wax powdered along the dorsal midline, along the segmental borders and laterally (see first picture below) (cf. Cinara nuda which has the dorsal body devoid of wax, very shiny and uniformly dark brown and cf. Cinara schimitscheki which is uniformly wax-dusted, with four rows of black spots). Dorsal hairs on the abdomen are sparse and very short, mostly 0.01-0.04 mm. (cf. Cinara acutirostris which has several rather long hairs, up to 0.1 mm long, between the siphuncular cones). The length of the first tarsal segment (HTI) is less than 0.5 times the length of the second tarsal segment (HTII) (cf. Cinara schimitscheki, Cinara pinea and Cinara pilosa which all have HTI more than 0.5xHTII). The length of the two terminal segments of the rostrum of Cinara pini is less than 1.2 times the length of HTII. Lastly the sclerotized part of the stylet groove (see second picture below) is 1.2-1.5 mm long and there are only 4 subapical hairs on the antennal terminal process (cf. Cinara nuda where the sclerotized part of the stylet groove is 1.8-2.2 mm long, and there are 4-7 subapical hairs on the antennal terminal process). The siphuncular cones are black and prominent (cf. Cinara pinihabitans, which has low and rather inconspicuous siphuncular cones). The body length of an adult Cinara pini aptera is 1.9-3.7 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara pinihabitans (see pictures below of oviparae) have the abdomen wax powdered. On the dorsum there is a transverse dull brown to black marking between the siphuncular cones, sometimes extending forwards along the spinal and pleural areas, and a broken cross bar on tergite VIII. The apical segment(s) of the rostrum (RIV+V) is about 0.8 times as long as the second hind tarsal segment, and has 4-5 accessory hairs. Hairs on the appendages and body are denser and longer than in most pine-feeding Cinara species. Hence the longest hairs on antennal segment III of Cinara pinihabitans are 110-150 μm long (cf. Cinara nuda & Cinara pini, which both have longest hairs on antennal segment III at 25-10 μm). The longest hairs on the hind tibiae are 170-190 μm (cf. Cinara nuda & Cinara pini, which both have longest hairs on the hind tibiae at 40-130 μm). There are 40-50 hairs on the abdominal tergite between the siphuncular cones, with the longest 140-180 μm (cf. Cinara nuda & Cinara pini, which both have 3-44 hairs between the siphunculi, with the longest 5-140 μm). The siphuncular cones are rather low and inconspicuous (cf. Cinara pini, which has black and prominent siphuncular cones). The body length of Cinara pinihabitans adult aptera is 3.1-4.6 mm.

Images above copyright Anders Albrecht under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

In life, apterae of Cinara pruinosa are brown or dark green, sometimes with a bronze metallic tinge. They may have waxed patches along the sides of the dorsum (see first picture below) or such patches may be reduced or absent (see second picture below) (cf. Cinara costata which are wax covered to a greater or lesser extent, with deposits of wax on surrounding twigs). The adults of Cinara pruinosa usually have blotchy blackish markings in a pattern resembling the letter omega (Ω) on tergites 1-3. The two terminal segments of the rostrum are 1.1-1.5 times longer than the second tarsal segment. The legs are conspicuously hairy, with long hairs on the outer side of the hind tibia, all or many of the hairs exceeding 0.12 mm (cf. Cinara piceicola which has only short hairs on the outer side of the hind tibia - less than 0.12 mm long). The tibiae are pale except for the apical one third of the femora, and the bases and distal halves of the tibiae and tarsi. The second tarsal segment is shorter than the maximum diameter of the cones.Cinara pruinosa adults have prominent black siphuncular cones (cf. Cinara piceicola which have usually small and rather faintly pigmented siphuncular cones). The body length of Cinara pruinosa apterae is 2.4-5.0 mm.

Adult apterae of Cinara schimitscheki are broadly oval and somewhat flattened dorso-ventrally. They are brown, with four lateral longitudinal rows of black spots, and two spinal rows of smaller spots. The dorsum is covered with pale bluish-grey wax powder concentrated laterally and intersegmentally. Antennal hairs are fairly short, on segment 3 mostly shorter than the diameter of the segment. The rostrum (i.e. the sclerotised part of the stylet groove) is 2.3-2.5 mm long (cf. other pine feeding Cinara in which the rostrum is only 1.2-2.2 mm long). The fourth rostral segment (RIV) is 0.29-0.36 mm long. (cf. other pine feeding Cinara in which RIV is only 0.13-0.29 mm long) The dark, rather flat siphuncular cones are of moderate size (note the pictured specimens are immatures, hence the small siphunculi). The body length of adult Cinara schimitscheki apterae is 3.3-5.2 mm. Immatures (see first picture below) are also wax powdered like the adults.

Apterae of Cinara smolandiae in Sweden are dusky brownish grey with dull bronze metallic highlights in sunlight. Cinara smolandiae can be distinguished from related species by the long rostrum (measured as the sclerotized part of the stylet groove) which is more than 1.25 mm and more than 0.37 × body length (cf. Cinara juniperi, in which the length of sclerotised part of stylet groove is less than 1.25 mm, and less than 0.34 × body length). Another distinguishing feature is that the third antennal segment (see picture above) has 2-8 secondary rhinaria clustered at the distal end of the segment. (cf. Cinara juniperi, which has no secondary rhinaria on antennal segment III). Like Cinara juniperi, Cinara smolandiae has wholly dark hind tibiae (cf. Cinara cupressi, Cinara tujafilina and Cinara fresai which have the hind tibiae mostly pale or with a paler region on the basal half). The siphuncular cones are shiny black. The body length of Cinara smolandiae is usually 2.9-4.4 mm (although Scottish apterae are somewhat smaller). Immatures have more extensive wax dusting.

Adult apterae of Cinara strobi are long-bodied aphids with a body colour of shiny metallic to dull grey black. They have a brown head, a spinal stripe of white wax on the thoracic tergites and on the posterior abdominal tergites, and (usually) 2-3 white wax spots on each side of the dorsum. The femora are yellow-brown basally, but darker towards the apices. The hind tibiae are wholly dark and markedly bowed (see pictures below) (cf. Cinara atlantica and Cinara pinea which both have a pale section on the basal half of the hind tibiae). The longest hairs on the dorsal side of the hind tibia are usually less than 1.5 times the width of the hind tibia at midpoint (cf. Cinara pergandei which has those hairs usually more than 1.5 times the width of the hind tibia). The siphuncular cones are black. The body length of adult apterae is 3.0-3.4 mm. Immature Cinara strobi are pinkish-brown with two longitudinal faint greyish-green dorsal stripes.

Both images above by permission, copyright Claude Pilon, all rights reserved.

Adult apterae of Cinara tujafilina are reddish-brown with a dorsal pattern of bluish-white wax, and two dark brown divergent curved bands running from head to about the level of the siphunculi (see first & second picture below). The terminal process of the antenna is very short and stumpy, about as long as its basal width (cf. Cinara cupressi and Cinara fresai which have the terminal process of the antenna distinctly longer than its basal width). The hind femora are pale, and the hind tibiae are only dark at their apices, though sometimes have very localised pigmentation at their tibio-femoral joints (cf. Cinara cupressi and Cinara fresai which have the distal parts of hind femora and bases of hind tibiae dusky or dark). The body length of the adult aptera of Cinara tujafilina is 1.7-3.5 mm.

First image above copyright Boogoljub Milošević, all rights reserved.
Second image copyright Mihajlo Tomić, all rights reserved.
Third image copyright Marko Šćiban, all rights reserved.