| Aphis genistae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aphis genistae on flowers of Genista species | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Sternorrhyncha |
| Family: | Aphididae |
| Genus: | Aphis |
| Species: | A. genistae |
| Binomial name | |
| Aphis genistae Scopoli 1763 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Aphis genistae is an aphid of the family Aphididae. [2]
This species can be found in most of Europe eastward to Ukraine and Turkey, and in the Nearctic realm (it has been introduced to North America). [3]
Aphis genistae can reach a length of 1.4–2.6 millimetres (0.055–0.102 in). Apterae are black, coated with wax meal, while alatae have 4-8 secondary rhinaria. [4]
These insects mainly feed on small branches and flowers of Genista anglica , Genista lydia and Genista tinctoria (hence the species name), [5] but they have also been collected on Laburnum, Cytisus, Petteria, Spartium and Sophora species. [6] These aphids sometimes have a mutualistic relationship with ants. They are holocyclic (sex is involved, leading to egg production) and oviparae. Sexual females mate with the alate males in September to produce overwintering eggs. [4]