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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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Sipha elegansBristly olive grass aphidOn this page: Identification & Distribution Other aphids on the same hostIdentification & DistributionAdult apterae of Sipha elegans are usually brown to yellowish brown (see first picture below) or in cooler conditions olive green (see second picture below), with rows of spiny hairs. There is a paler spinal stripe (more apparent on immatures), and dark transverse intersegmental markings (cf. Sipha flava, which are usually bright yellow with only dusky intersegmental markings). The antennae are quite short, only 0.37-0.39 times the body length, with their terminal process 1.70-2.10 times as long as the base of antennal segment VI (cf. Sipha flava, which has somehat longer antennae at 0.45-0.54 times the body length). The apical rostral segment (RIV+V) is 0.50-0.62 times the length of the second hind tarsal segment (HTII). The siphunculi are small shallow pigmented cones. The cauda is broadly rounded (cf. Sipha flava, which has a cauda which has a conical base and a rounded, knobbed apex). The body length of adult Sipha elegans apterae is 1.4-2.1 mm. Immatures (see second picture below) are yellow-green speckled with rows with dusky spots.
Both images above by permission, copyright Jessica Joachim, all rights reserved. The alate Sipha elegans (see second and third pictures below) has a black head and thorax, and a brownish yellow abdomen with dark sclerites.
Both images above copyright CBG Photography Group under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.
Micrograph of clarified mount by permission Karina Wieczorek, all rights reserved. Sipha elegans feeds on a wide range of grasses and cereals including (for example) Ammophila, Festuca and Triticum. On grass it produces characteristic feeding damage - the leaf blades roll upwards and yellow-brown patches develop (see pictures below). They are usually attended by ants (see second picture below). Sipha elegans is widely distributed over the world. It is native to the Palearctic from Europe, across Asia to China and Western Siberia. It is also well-established in the northern parts of the USA.
Both images above by permission, copyright Jessica Joachim, all rights reserved. Other aphids on the same hostSipha elegans has been recorded on many genera of grasses (Poaceae) including Agropyron, Agrostis, Ammophila, Arrhenatherum, Bromus, Elymus, Festuca, Hordeum, Phleum and Triticum.
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