Aphis spiraecola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aphis spiraecola
Scientific classification

Aphis spiraecola, also known as the green citrus aphid or Spirea aphid, is a tiny insect. Edith Marion Patch first described this species in 1914. You can find these aphids all over the world, but they are most common in the United States.

Discovering the Green Citrus Aphid

Edith Marion Patch first found Aphis spiraecola in 1914. She was studying different types of aphids. Patch noticed that one type, A. pomi, liked to eat Spiraea plants. She also saw that A. spiraecola preferred Malus (apple) trees. This helped her understand that aphids can be very different, even if they look similar.

At first, Patch had some trouble with her apple aphid studies because a fungus attacked her colonies. So, she used A. spiraecola from Spiraea plants for her experiments instead. Later, she suggested naming the aphids based on the plants they were found on. This is how A. pomi and A. spiraecola got their names.

Another scientist, van der Groot, described a similar aphid called A. citricola in 1912. This aphid later became known as Toxoptera citricida. In 1975, a scientist named Hille Ris Lambers showed that T. citricida was actually the same as A. spiraecola.

What Does Aphis spiraecola Look Like?

These aphids can be bright greenish-yellow or apple green. This is why they are sometimes called "apple aphids." Their head and the middle part of their body (thorax) are dark brown. Their belly (abdomen) is yellowish-green with dark spots on the sides.

It can be easy to confuse A. spiraecola with A. pomi (the apple aphid). This is because they often live on the same types of plants. However, there is a small difference in their bodies. A. pomi has small bumps called marginal tubercles on its lower abdomen, but A. spiraecola does not.

How Aphis spiraecola Reproduces

A. spiraecola can reproduce in two ways. Sometimes, they reproduce sexually, which means they have male and female aphids. This usually happens on Spiraea or Citrus plants. But for most of the world, they reproduce without a partner. This is called parthenogenesis. It means the female aphid can have babies all by herself, without needing a male.

What Do These Aphids Eat?

Aphis spiraecola eats many different kinds of plants. They can be found on over 65 types of plants! This includes important crops like citrus fruits, cacao (which makes chocolate), Malus (apple) trees, Prunus (like peaches and cherries), and more.

These aphids are polyphagous, which means they can eat a wide variety of foods. This helps them survive in many different places. They usually feed on young buds, flowers, new shoots, and leaves of plants. If they are brought to a new area, they can easily survive and have babies, unless the climate is very cold.

Their main "winter homes" are Spiraea and Citrus plants. But they can also live on many other plants from over 20 different plant families. They especially like woody plants that grow like shrubs. Citrus and apple trees are the most important crops that these aphids affect.

Where Can You Find Aphis spiraecola?

A. spiraecola lives all over the world in warm and tropical areas. You can find them in Asia, Africa, North America, Europe, and Oceania. They do not like very cold places.

Scientists believe these aphids first came from the Far East. Over time, they spread to many other countries. They arrived in North America by 1907, Australia by 1926, and New Zealand by 1931. They have continued to spread to many new places, including parts of Europe like Germany, Hungary, and the United Kingdom.

Today, A. spiraecola is found almost everywhere. They are often considered an invasive species in new areas. This means they can cause problems because they are not native to that place. One way these aphids spread is by traveling on fruits or ornamental plants that people move from one place to another. Since they can eat so many different plants, they can easily survive and reproduce in new environments.

How Aphis spiraecola Affects the Environment

A. spiraecola is a big pest for citrus fruits, apples, and ornamental plants (plants grown for their beauty). They can also spread many plant viruses. These viruses can make entire crops sick, which can lead to big losses for farmers.

So, A. spiraecola has a negative impact on growing crops and can cause money problems. However, they do not seem to harm human or animal health, fishing, native plants or animals, tourism, or transportation.

How to Control Aphis spiraecola

Even though these aphids are native to some places, they can cause serious damage to crops in many regions. This makes them an invasive pest almost everywhere they live.

Many predators, like ladybugs, eat A. spiraecola. But these predators usually do not eat enough aphids to control their population completely. Farmers often use Insecticides to control these pests on citrus and apple crops.

Scientists have studied different insecticides to see which ones work best. For example, some studies looked at treatments in citrus groves and apple orchards. Some insecticides that have been used include ethion, parathion-ethyl, and dimethoate. A popular choice for orchards is imidacloprid.

Images for kids

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  A close-up view of Aphis spiraecola.

See also

In Spanish: Pulgón verde de los cítricos para niños