Aphis nerii | |
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A colony of Aphis nerii on milkweed with discarded exoskeletons | |
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An individual Aphis nerii | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hemiptera |
Suborder: | Sternorrhyncha |
Family: | Aphididae |
Genus: | Aphis |
Species: | A. nerii |
Binomial name | |
Aphis nerii Fonscolombe, 1841 [1] | |
Synonyms | |
Aphis lutescensMonell, 1879 |
Aphis nerii is an aphid of the family Aphididae. [2] Its common names include oleander aphid, milkweed aphid, [3] sweet pepper aphid, [4] and nerium aphid. [5]
The oleander aphid is widespread in regions with tropical and Mediterranean climates. [6] [7] In Poland, oleander aphid has only been reported from a glasshouse. [8] Small populations of oleander aphid are present in gardens in London, England. [9]
Female aphids lay live young (nymphs), a process known as viviparity. [6] Female aphids reproduce by parthenogenesis. Males have never been observed in the wild but have been produced under laboratory conditions. [10] Females may be wingless or winged (alate), the production of the alate form occurs at a higher rate in regions where the aphid must migrate to temporary hosts each year. [11]
Oleander aphid has a wide range of hosts, but mainly feeds on plants in the dogbane family, including milkweeds, oleander and periwinkle. [9] It is occasionally recorded feeding on plants in the bindweed family, daisy family and spurge family as well as rarely being recorded on Citrus. [12]
Oleander aphid can act as a vector of viruses in the genus Potyvirus and Cucumovirus. The following viruses are known to be vectored by oleander aphid: