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Sarucallis [Panaphidini]In life Sarucallis may have waxy secretions occurring as white tufts on the head and thorax. The vertex is marked with 2 black marginal stripes and a narrow black stripe medially. Secondary rhinaria on the antennae are narrow elliptical. The antennal terminal process is slightly longer than the base of antennal segment VI. The fore coxae are greatly enlarged. The wings are held flat over the body in repose (cf. Takecallis, which has the wings held roof-like in repose). There is extensive black pigment over the costal field and below, extending to the base of the wing; the pterostigma is almost black with a crescent-shaped spot below, and some other veins also have black bordering. Tergites I has a pair of short cone-shaped black spinal processes. Tergite II has a large bifid process on a dark spinopleural bar extending almost to the margins of the abdomen. The marginal sclerites of tergites II-IV are developed as short cone-shaped processes. The siphunculi are black or partially sclerotic and are cylindrical. There is only one species in the genus Sarucallis, which is monoecious holocyclic on the leaves of crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), and sometimes henna (Lawsonia alba). It is native to east and south-east Asia, but has been introduced to many regions including Europe, North & Central America, Africa and Australia. Sarucallis kahawaluokalani (Crape myrtle aphid) CosmopolitanAll adult Sarucallis kahawaluokalani viviparae are alate. The alatae (see first picture below) are broad-bodied, pale yellow or yellow-green with dark longitudinal stripes on head and prothorax and a dark brown pterothorax. They have transverse dark marks on abdominal tergites I and II, incorporating the large paired tubercles, and distinctively marked forewings. The antennae are pale, with the apex of each segment darkened. The antennae are 0.53 times as long as the body, with a terminal process that is less than 1.5 times the base of antennal segment VI, and have 6-8 secondary rhinaria on segment III. The apical rostral segment (RIV+V) is the same length as the second hind tarsal segment (HTII). The head and thorax lack spinal tubercles. The forewings are marked with broad bands of fuscous, especially along and behind the main vein and along the branches of the media. The abdomen bears paired lateral tubercles with single hairs on segments I-IV, and spinal tubercles with single hairs on segments I & II. The spinal tubercles on abdominal tergite II (see second picture below) are unusually large and dark, and are united over more than half their length. Spinal hairs on segments III-VII are on black sclerites, with sclerite pairs III, V & VII much further apart than those in other pairs. The siphunculi are short, brown, truncated cones. The cauda is knobbed, and the anal plate is bilobed. The body length of Sarucallis kahawaluokalani alatae is 1.2-1.8 mm.
First images above copyright Katja Schulz under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Immature Sarucallis kahawaluokalani (see third picture above) are pale yellow with red eyes. The abdomen bears spinal and pleural rows of fuscous tubercles, displaced outwards on some tergites, each of which bears a black capitate bristle. The unusually large dark united spinal tubercles on abdominal tergite II, so prominent in adults, are absent. The siphunculi are pale. Sarucallis kahawaluokalani is monoecious holocyclic on the undersides of leaves of crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica, see image above). It has also been found on henna (Lawsonia alba). In repose the wings are carried flat over the back of the body as in Monellia caryae. Oviparae and alate males occur in September-October in the northern hemisphere, and in April-May in Australia. The species is native to east and south-east Asia, but has been introduced to Europe, Iran, Africa, North, Central & South America, and recently Australia.
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