Diptera.info

Thread subject: Diptera.info :: giant Aphid?

Posted by Sundew on 11-07-2009 23:27

Hi,
This evening I came across an insect that looked and walked like a winged Aphid but was of enormous dimensions - nearly 1 cm long. Are there Aphids of such size or is this specimen an exception (mutation / too much food / victim of pollution)? Any information is greatly welcomed!
Thanks, Sundew

Posted by jorgemotalmeida on 11-07-2009 23:35

I don't see any cornicles... maybe that projection in the last photo?
If so, it is an aphid. :)

Posted by Sundew on 12-07-2009 00:05

There are no typical cornicles, but not all species have them... I wanted to add a magnified picture detail, but posting failed several times.

Posted by jorgemotalmeida on 12-07-2009 00:27

all species have them. There are species where the cornicles are not so conspicuous though.

Posted by Sundew on 12-07-2009 01:03

Wikipedia says about Aphididae: "Most of them have a pair of little tubes, called cornicles, projecting from the posterior of the abdomen" - so not all :).

Posted by pierred on 12-07-2009 06:53

Cinara is a genus of huge Aphids, which lives on all kinds of Conifera. The biggest can have a length of 10mm. They have this red coloration of legs.

See some pictures at: http://www.galeri...php?Cinara

Edited by pierred on 12-07-2009 07:13

Posted by Sundew on 12-07-2009 22:32

No doubt - that's Cinara! (Lovely name for an Aphid, sounds very likeable!) And the gallery pics show clearly that the cornicles are very short projections in this taxon. So Jorge was right. Many thanks, Pierre!

Posted by Isidro on 13-07-2009 18:38

Looks like Lachninae, maybe Lachnus roboris.

Posted by Sundew on 13-07-2009 19:11

Cinara fits better, I think. It belongs to Lachninae, too. The winged Lachnus roboris specimens have distinctly coloured wings. I found several pictures of them in the web. The Cinara photos that Pierre cited look very similar to mine.