Periphyllus venetianus

Adult apterae of Periphyllus venetianus (see first picture below, with immatures) are shiny, marbled black and green, with pale legs (cf. Periphyllus hirticornis, which is light green). The dorsum is pale membranous, apart from a narrow dark sclerotic band on abdominal tergite VIII, and siphunculi and cauda are dusky (the dark markings on other tergites are not sclerotized, so do not show on clarified mounts). The antennae are pale, except for segments I & II, apices of segments III-V, and all of VI, which are dusky to dark. Antennae are 0.75-0.9 times body length, with the terminal process 3.9-6.9 times the base of segment VI (cf. Periphyllus aceris and Periphyllus testudinaceus, which have the terminal process only 2.0-3.6 times the base of that segment). The rostrum is rather long, reaching to or past the hind pair of coxae, with the apical rostral segment rather short, about equal to the second hind tarsal segment. Dorsal hairs are pale, thin and fine-pointed (cf. Periphyllus hirticornis, which has those hairs blunt or forked). Some hairs are very long, about 7-8 times the basal diameter of antennal segment III, others only one third that length. The siphunculi are truncated conical, about as long as or only a little longer than their basal widths (cf. Periphyllus hirticornis, which has siphunculi at least 1.5 times longer than their basal width). Body length of adult Periphyllus venetianus apterae is 1.1-2.0 mm.

Both images above by permission, copyright Marko Šćiban, all rights reserved.

The alate Periphyllus venetianus (see second picture above) has not previously been described. From the photograph shown, the head and thorax are dark, the abdomen is marbled green & black, similar to that of the aptera, but siphunculi are dark, as are the antennae, apart from the base of segment III. Immatures (see first picture above, and two pictures below) are variable in colour, sometimes green, or marbled brown-green or black-green.