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Israelaphidinae : Israelaphis carmini
 

 

Israelaphis carmini

Mediterranean grass-aphid

On this page: Identification & Distribution Other aphids on the same host

Identification & Distribution

Adult apterae of Israelaphis carmini are greenish yellow, with a slight wax covering, and pale appendages. The antennal tubercles are well developed. The antennae have an elongate terminal process, 2.04-3.32 times as long as the base of antennal segment VI. There are many small secondary rhinaria on antennal segment III. The rostrum extends just beyond the 2nd coxae, and the apical rostral segment is very small. The dorsum is armoured with nodulose or wrinkled sculpturing. There are 10-22 posterior, dorsal fleshy, pointed and imbricated processes on tergites VI-VIII (cf. Israelaphis lambersi, which only has one pair of large conical processes on tergite VIII; and cf. Israelaphis ilharcoi, which has a total of 40-42 processes distributed over all segments from the head to tergite VIII). The siphunculi are short and inconspicuous, enlarged in the middle and constricted basally and apically. The cauda is elongated with a wide base and constriction below the middle, and the anal plate is bilobed. Both cauda and anal plate have a few hairs.

Image reproduced by permission, copyright Daniel Rojas
via biodiversidadvirtual.org, all rights reserved.

Alatae of this species are not known.

There are two subspecies currently recognised, until recently regarded as different species, but synonomized by Favret in Aphid Species File.

  • Israelaphis carmini subsp. carmini has the bases of the processes on tergites VI & VII almost smooth, and the antennal terminal process 4.6-8.2 times the apical rostral segment.
  • Israelaphis carmini subsp. alistana has the bases of the processes on tergites VI & VII strongly nodulose, and the antennal terminal process 4.1-4.4 times the apical rostral segment.

Israelaphis carmini are monoecious on various grasses (Poaceae): Avena sterilis (winter wild oat), Bromus rigidus (brome), Hordeum murinum (barley), Koeleria macrantha and Rostraria cristata - subspecies alistana is known from Anthoxanthum aristatum, Vulpia bromoides and Vulpia myuros. Populations are holocyclic, with oviparae and apterous males in March-May. Oviparae of subsp. carmini are brown, and those of subsp. alistana are dark green. Israelaphis carmini carmini has a fairly wide distribution, being found in Portugal, France, Italy & Israel. Israelaphis carmini alistana is apparently restricted to the Zamora district of Spain.

 

Other aphids on the same host

Blackman & Eastop list 15 species of aphid as feeding on winter wild oat (Avena sterilis) worldwide, and provide formal identification keys (Show World list). Of those aphid species, Baker (2015) lists 11 as occurring in Britain (Show British list).

Acknowledgements

We especially thank Daniel Rojas for allowing us to reproduce his image of Israelaphis carmini shown above.

We have used the species accounts of Essig (1952) and Quednau (2010), along with information from Roger Blackman & Victor Eastop in Aphids on Worlds Plants. We fully acknowledge these authors, and those listed in the reference sections, as the source for the (summarized) taxonomic information we have presented. Any errors in identification or information are ours alone, and we would be very grateful for any corrections. For assistance on the terms used for aphid morphology we suggest the figure provided by Blackman & Eastop (2006).

Useful weblinks

References

  • Essig, E.O. (1953). A remarkable new aphid from Israel. Pan-Pacific Entomologist 29(3), 128. Full text

  • Quednau, F.W. (2010). Atlas of the Drepanosiphine aphids of the world. Part III. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 83, 1-361 (p. 65).