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Vesiculaphis caricisVesicular azalea-sedge aphidOn this page: Identification & Distribution Other aphids on the same hostIdentification & DistributionAdult apterae of Vesiculaphis caricis (see larger aphid, a fundatrix, in first picture below) on the primary host, azalea (Rhododendron spp.) are yellowish green with a brownish tinge, or dark reddish brown, with dark siphunculi and cauda. The species was originally described by Fullaway (1910), from aphids on the secondary host, sedges (Cyperus spp.), as brownish yellow, with similarly-coloured antennae, legs and siphunculi, and a darker cauda. The head is scabrous (rough / scaly), with many minute spicules in rows dorsally along its posterior margin. The front of the head is produced into a ledge, with the median frontal tubercle as a low swelling beneath it (cf. Vesiculaphis theobaldi, which has the front of the head produced into three large, separate processes). The antennae are short, less than half the body length. The apical rostral segment (RIV+V) is 1.0-1.4 times as long as the second hind tarsal segment (HTII). The siphunculi are evenly swollen over most of their length, narrowing apically. The cauda, which is small, dark and triangular, is concealed below the last abdominal segment - also triangular. The body length of adult Vesiculaphis caricis apterae is 1.6-2.0 mm. Image above by permission, copyright Matt Bertone, all rights reserved.
The alate Vesiculaphis caricis (see two pictures below) has a dark olive-brown head, meso- and metathorax. The prothorax is greenish yellow with a dark olive-brown band, and the abdomen is light green. The antennae are about 0.67 times the body length, and bear many small round secondary rhinaria on segments III, IV & V. The siphunculi are less than 0.75 times the head-width across the eyes. The cauda is triangular, less than 1.5 times as long as its basal width.
Images above by permission, copyright Bill Keim, all rights reserved. Vesiculaphis caricis host alternates from its primary hosts, rhododendrons and azaleas (Rhododendron species) to its secondary hosts, sedges (Cyperus, Carex, Kyllinga species). In Japan it is an important pest of Shichitoi sedge (Cyperus malaccensis ssp. monophyllus = Carex monophyllus). The vesicular azalea-sedge aphid is native to Korea, China, Taiwan, West Bengal and east Siberia, and has been introduced to southern states of the USA (California, North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia). Other aphids on the same hostPrimary hostsVesiculaphis caricis has been recorded on 7 Rhododendron species (Rhododendron albrechti, Rhododendron kaempferi, Rhododendron mucronulatum, Rhododendron obtusum, Rhododendron schlippenbachi, Rhododendron simsii, Rhododendron yedoense).
Secondary hostsVesiculaphis caricis has been recorded on 1 'true' sedge species (Carex pruinosa subsp. macimowiczii = Carex macimowiczii). It is the only species of aphid known from that host. Vesiculaphis caricis has been recorded on 4 species of sedge-sensu lato (Cyperus malaccensis, Cyperus microiria, Cyperus rotundus, Cyperus serotinus).
Damage and controlUye (1925) first reported the migration of the aphid between azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) and the "Shichitoi" sedge. He noted that the alienicolae (=aphids on their secondary host) build up dense colonies on "Shichitoi" sedge, (Cyperus malaccensis ssp. monophyllus = Cyperus monophyllus), from which they may move to some other Cyperus species. In Japan Vesiculaphis caricis is known as an important pest of the Shichitoi sedge (which is used for weaving, especially for a type of expensive mat). A heavy infestation of the aphid may greatly reduce the yield of the sedge, and the black mould growing on the honeydew excreted by the aphid destroys the market value (Miyazaki, 1980).
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