Hyadaphis foeniculi (Passerini, 1860), Hyadaphis passerinii (Del Gercio, 1911)

Morphological characters

1.3-2.3 mm.
Apterous: greyish green and waxy; antennae, legs, cornicles and cauda black.
Alate: green, antennae short with numerous deforming rhinaria, cornicles short, swollen and pigmented, cauda short and pigmented.

See identification file

Life cycles

Dioecious holocyclic.

Host plants

Primary hosts: Lonicera spp (honeysuckle).
Secondary hosts: Apiaceae: such as Daucus (carrot), Apium (celery), or Foeniculus (fennel).

Particular characteristics

H. foeniculi can be confused with another species, H passerinii (Del Gercio, 1911).
H passerinii is found rather in the Mediterranean Basin, but its activity cycle and hosts are the same as in H. foeniculi.
Morphologically, however, these two species are indistinguishable.

Agronomic impact

Colonies of H. foeniculi develop essentially on the umbels in flower and do not inflict any significant direct harm.
However, it transmits viruses that depend on the non-persistent mode including celery mosaic (CeMV) and celery yellow spot virus (CeYSV).

Natural enemies

Parasitoids :

• Aphelinus daucicola
• Aphelinus varipes
• Ephedrus persicae
• Diaeretiella rapae
• Praon volucre