Diptera.info :: Identification queries :: Other insects, spiders, etc.
 giant Aphid?
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| Sundew |
Posted on 11-07-2009 22:27
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 Member Location: Berlin and Baden-Württemberg, Germany Posts: 3938 Joined: 28.07.07 |
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 Sundew attached the following image:  [182.88Kb] |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 11-07-2009 22:35
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 Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
I don't see any cornicles... maybe that projection in the last photo? If so, it is an aphid.  |
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| Sundew |
Posted on 11-07-2009 23:05
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Member Location: Berlin and Baden-Württemberg, Germany Posts: 3938 Joined: 28.07.07 |
There are no typical cornicles, but not all species have them... I wanted to add a magnified picture detail, but posting failed several times. |
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| jorgemotalmeida |
Posted on 11-07-2009 23:27
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Member Location: Viseu - PORTUGAL Posts: 9296 Joined: 05.06.06 |
all species have them. There are species where the cornicles are not so conspicuous though. |
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| Sundew |
Posted on 12-07-2009 00:03
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Member Location: Berlin and Baden-Württemberg, Germany Posts: 3938 Joined: 28.07.07 |
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 . |
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| pierred |
Posted on 12-07-2009 05:53
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 Member Location: Paris (France) Posts: 1484 Joined: 21.04.05 |
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 06:13 Pierre Duhem |
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| Sundew |
Posted on 12-07-2009 21:32
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Member Location: Berlin and Baden-Württemberg, Germany Posts: 3938 Joined: 28.07.07 |
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! |
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| Isidro |
Posted on 13-07-2009 17:38
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Member Location: Zaragoza, Spain Posts: 2101 Joined: 26.04.07 |
Looks like Lachninae, maybe Lachnus roboris. |
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| Sundew |
Posted on 13-07-2009 18:11
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Member Location: Berlin and Baden-Württemberg, Germany Posts: 3938 Joined: 28.07.07 |
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. |
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