Aphis gossypii

Aphis gossypii
	Adults and nymphs on cotton.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Suborder:	Sternorrhyncha
Family:	Aphididae
Genus:	Aphis
Species:	A. gossypii
Binomial name
	Aphis gossypii; Glover, 1877
Synonyms
	A. bauhiniaeTheobald, 1918; A. citriAshmead, 1909; A. citrulliAshmead, 1882; A. cucumerisForbes, 1883; A. cucurbitiBuckton, 1879; A. minutaWilson, 1911; A. monardaeOestlund, 1887; Cerosypha gossypiiGlover, 1877; Doralis frangulaeKaltenbach;

Last updated December 14, 2021

Aphis gossypii is a tiny insect, an aphid ("greenfly") in the superfamily Aphidoidea in the order Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from plants. It is a widely distributed pest of a variety of agricultural crops in the families Cucurbitaceae, Rutaceae and Malvaceae.^[2] Common names include cotton aphid, melon aphid and melon and cotton aphid.^[1]

Distribution

It is not known where this species originated, but it is now found in tropical and temperate regions throughout the world except extreme northern areas. It is common in North and South America, Central Asia, Africa, Australia,^[3] Brazil, East Indies, Mexico and Hawaii and in most of Europe. It is cosmopolitan in habitat. It thrives outdoors in southern Europe but survives only under glass in northern Europe.^[1] In the former Soviet Union it is found up to 54°N.^[3]

Morphology

The wingless female cotton aphid has an ovoid body about two millimetres long in varying shades of green. The legs are yellow, as are the antennae which are three quarters of the length of the body. The apices of the femora, tibia and tarsi are black. The cylindrical black siphunculi are wide at the base and one fifth of the body length. The winged female has a fusiform body. Its head and thorax are black, the abdomen yellowish-green with black lateral spots and the antennae are longer than those of the apterous female.^[1] The nymphs vary in colour, being shades of green, tan and gray. They often have a dark head, thorax and wing pads and the distal portion of the abdomen is usually dark green. The body appears dull because it is dusted with wax secretions. The oval eggs are yellow when first laid but soon turn glossy black.^[4]

In the southern half of the US, as far north as Arkansas, sexual reproduction of the cotton aphid is not important. Females continue to produce offspring without mating so long as the weather is favourable for feeding and growth.^[4] Further north, the cotton aphid can be holocyclic and involve two host species, with a broadleaved tree such as Catalpa, Rhamnus or Hibiscus acting as the primary host. In Europe it reproduces exclusively by asexual reproduction and can produce nearly fifty generations a year under favourable conditions.^[1] In Russia various wild plants are hosts to the overwintering eggs.^[3] Winged forms then migrate to secondary host species in the families Rosaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Malvaceae, Cruciferae, Cucurbitaceae, Solanaceae, Compositae and others. Parthenogenesis on these hosts allows large populations of aphids to build up quickly. The life span of a parthenogenic female is about twenty days in which time it can produce up to 85 nymphs.^[3] These mature in about twenty days at 10 °C and in about four days at 30 °C.^[1] As autumn approaches, the winged forms migrate back to the primary hosts. Here, both males and sexual females are produced, mating takes place and the females lay eggs which overwinter, ready to repeat the life cycle the following year.^[3]

Predators include midges, lacewings, syrphid fly larvae, anthocorid bugs and ladybirds (ladybeetles). Several members of the Aphidiinae and Aphelinidae wasp families are parasitoids of aphids.^[1] One which shows promise as a biocontrol agent is Aphelinus asychis .^[2]

Host plants

The cotton aphid has a very wide host range with at least 60 host plants being known in Florida and perhaps 700 worldwide. Among cucurbit vegetables, it can seriously affect watermelons, cucumbers, cantaloupes, squash and pumpkin. Other vegetable crops attacked include pepper, eggplant, okra and asparagus. It also affects citrus, cotton and hibiscus.^[4]

Economic significance

The adults and nymphs of the cotton aphid feed on the underside of leaves or on the growing tips of shoots, sucking juices from the plant. The foliage may become chlorotic and die prematurely. There is often a great deal of leaf curling and distortion which hinders efficient photosynthesis. Honeydew is excreted by the aphids and this allows sooty moulds to grow, resulting in a decrease in the quantity and quality of the produce. The aphids are a vector of crinkle, mosaic, rosette, CTV and other virus diseases. The aphids' impact is especially important on vegetable crops such as courgette, melon, cucumber, aubergine and strawberry and on cotton, citrus and mallow.^[1]

Insecticides

Carbamates and organophosphates are commonly used against A. gossypii around the world.^[5]

Insecticide resistance

Resistance to carbamates and organophosphates has been traced to two variant acetylcholinesterase genes in A. gossypii, MACE_A and MACE_B.^[5]

Related Research Articles

Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A typical life cycle involves flightless females giving live birth to female nymphs—who may also be already pregnant, an adaptation scientists call telescopic development—without the involvement of males. Maturing rapidly, females breed profusely so that the number of these insects multiplies quickly. Winged females may develop later in the season, allowing the insects to colonize new plants. In temperate regions, a phase of sexual reproduction occurs in the autumn, with the insects often overwintering as eggs.

The Aphididae are a very large insect family in the aphid superfamily (Aphidoidea), of the order Hemiptera. These insects suck the sap from plant leaves. Several thousand species are placed in this family, many of which are considered plant/crop pests. They are the family of insects containing most plant virus vectors with the green peach aphid being one of the most prevalent and indiscriminate carriers.

The silverleaf whitefly is one of several species of whitefly that are currently important agricultural pests. A review in 2011 concluded that the silverleaf whitefly is actually a species complex containing at least 40 morphologically indistinguishable species.

<i>Maconellicoccus hirsutus</i> Species of true bug

Maconellicoccus hirsutus, is a pest of many plants, trees, and shrubs. It infests hibiscus, citrus, coffee, sugar cane, annonas, plums, guava, mango, okra, sorrel, teak, mora, pigeon pea, peanut, grapevine, maize, asparagus, chrysanthemum, beans, cotton, soybean, cocoa, and many other plants. The pest forms colonies on the host plant, and if left undisturbed, the colonies will grow into large masses of white waxy coverings on branches, fruiting structures, leaves, and even whole plants, including large trees.

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is a viral species of the genus Closterovirus that causes the most economically damaging disease to its namesake plant genus, Citrus. The disease has led to the death of millions of Citrus trees all over the world and has rendered millions of others useless for production. Farmers in Brazil and other South American countries gave it the name "tristeza", meaning sadness in Portuguese and Spanish, referring to the devastation produced by the disease in the 1930s. The virus is transmitted most efficiently by the brown citrus aphid.

Adelphocoris lineolatus, is commonly known as the Lucerne bug or the alfalfa plant bug, and belongs to the family Miridae. It is an agricultural pest causing vast amounts of damage to numerous crops, but primarily to alfalfa crops around the globe.

The soybean aphid is an insect pest of soybean that is exotic to North America. The soybean aphid is native to Asia. It has been described as a common pest of soybeans in China and as an occasional pest of soybeans in Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The soybean aphid was first documented in North America in Wisconsin in July 2000. Ragsdale et al. (2004) noted that the soybean aphid probably arrived in North America earlier than 2000, but remained undetected for a period of time. Venette and Ragsdale (2004) suggested that Japan probably served as the point of origin for the soybean aphid's North American invasion. By 2003, the soybean aphid had been documented in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Together, these states accounted for 89% of the 63,600,000 acres (257,000 km²) of soybean planted in the United States in 2007.

Coccinella transversalis, commonly known as the transverse ladybird or transverse lady beetle is a species of ladybird beetle found from India across southern and southeastern Asia to Malesia and Australia. It is not to be confused with Coccinella transversoguttata, a widespread species in Europe and North America also known as the transverse ladybird. The alternative vernacular of small transverse ladybird may be used for C. transversalis in instances where these two species are discussed together

Myzus persicae, known as the green peach aphid, greenfly, or the peach-potato aphid, is a small green aphid belonging to the order Hemiptera. It is the most significant aphid pest of peach trees, causing decreased growth, shrivelling of the leaves and the death of various tissues. It also acts as a vector for the transport of plant viruses such as cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), potato virus Y (PVY) and tobacco etch virus (TEV). Potato virus Y and potato leafroll virus can be passed to members of the nightshade/potato family (Solanaceae), and various mosaic viruses to many other food crops.

Aphelinus mali is a parasitoid wasp that exploits the woolly apple aphid, a pest of apple trees. It is native to the northeastern United States but has been introduced to other parts of the world as a biological pest control agent.

The black bean aphid is a small black insect in the genus Aphis, with a broad, soft body, a member of the order Hemiptera. Other common names include blackfly, bean aphid, and beet leaf aphid. In the warmer months of the year, it is found in large numbers on the undersides of leaves and on the growing tips of host plants, including various agricultural crops and many wild and ornamental plants. Both winged and wingless forms exist, and at this time of year, they are all females. They suck sap from stems and leaves and cause distortion of the shoots, stunted plants, reduced yield, and spoiled crops. This aphid also acts as a vector for viruses that cause plant disease, and the honeydew it secretes may encourage the growth of sooty mould. It breeds profusely by live birth, but its numbers are kept in check, especially in the later part of the summer, by various predatory and parasitic insects. Ants feed on the honeydew it produces, and take active steps to remove the aphid's enemies. It is a widely distributed pest of agricultural crops and can be controlled by chemical or biological means. In the autumn, winged forms move to different host plants, where both males and females are produced. These mate and the females lay eggs which overwinter.

Macrosiphum euphorbiae, the potato aphid, is a sap-sucking pest insect in the family Aphididae. It infests potatoes and a number of other commercially important crops.

Aphis craccivora, variously known as the cowpea aphid, groundnut aphid or black legume aphid, is a true bug in the family Aphididae. Originally of probable Palearctic origin, it is now an invasive species of cosmopolitan distribution.

Aphis nerii is an aphid of the family Aphididae. Its common names include oleander aphid, milkweed aphid, sweet pepper aphid, and nerium aphid.

Aphis spiraecola is a species of aphid described in 1914 by Edith Marion Patch. Its common names include green citrus aphid, Spirea aphid, and apple aphid. It is distributed worldwide, and is most abundant in the United States. It has a diploid chromosome number of 2n=8.

Aphis pomi, commonly known as the apple aphid, or the green apple aphid, is a true bug in the family Aphididae. It is found on young growth of apple trees and on other members of the rose family where it feeds by sucking sap. Reproduction is mainly by parthenogenesis, in which unmated females give birth to live young.

Acyrthosiphon kondoi, the blue alfalfa aphid or bluegreen aphid, is an aphid in the superfamily Aphidoidea in the order Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from leguminous plants, particularly alfalfa.

Eriosoma lanigerum, the woolly apple aphid, woolly aphid or American blight, is an aphid in the superfamily Aphidoidea in the order Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from plants.

Dysdercus koenigii is a species of true bug in the family Pyrrhocoridae, commonly known as the red cotton stainer. It is a serious pest of cotton crops, the adults and older nymphs feeding on the emerging bolls and the cotton seeds as they mature, transmitting cotton staining fungi as they do so.

Propylea luteopustulata, is a species of lady beetle found in India, Nepal, Himalayas, Tibet, Southern China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Vietnam..

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DAISIE
1 2 Stefanie Schirmer, Cetin Sengonca and Peter Blaeser (2008). "Influence of abiotic factors on some biological and ecological characteristics of the aphid parasitoid Aphelinus asychis (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) parasitizing Aphis gossypii (Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae)" (PDF). European Journal of Entomology . 105: 121–129. doi: 10.14411/eje.2008.017 .
1 2 3 4 5 AgroAtlas
1 2 3 University of Florida
1 2 Han, Zhaojun; Moores, Graham D.; Denholm, Ian; Devonshire, Alan L. (1998). "Association between Biochemical Markers and Insecticide Resistance in the Cotton Aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover". Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology . Elsevier BV. 62 (3): 164–171. doi:10.1006/pest.1998.2373. ISSN 0048-3575.

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[DAISIE-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DAISIE

[Schirmer-2] 1 2 Stefanie Schirmer, Cetin Sengonca and Peter Blaeser (2008). "Influence of abiotic factors on some biological and ecological characteristics of the aphid parasitoid Aphelinus asychis (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) parasitizing Aphis gossypii (Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae)" (PDF). European Journal of Entomology . 105: 121–129. doi: 10.14411/eje.2008.017 .

[AG-3] 1 2 3 4 5 AgroAtlas

[FC-4] 1 2 3 University of Florida

[Han-et-al-1998-5] 1 2 Han, Zhaojun; Moores, Graham D.; Denholm, Ian; Devonshire, Alan L. (1998). "Association between Biochemical Markers and Insecticide Resistance in the Cotton Aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover". Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology . Elsevier BV. 62 (3): 164–171. doi:10.1006/pest.1998.2373. ISSN 0048-3575.

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