Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker, 1849)

Morphological characters

1.6-3.3 mm.
Apterous: elongate, green, yellow or pink with a darker longitudinal line on dorsum, cornicles long, straight and light-coloured with tip darkened brown, cauda digitate, light.
Alate: pale green to yellow, thorax brown, antennae long and pigmented, cornicles long, straight, light with tip darkened brown, cauda digitate, light.

See identification file

Life cycles

Dioecious holocyclic, anholocyclic in temperate zones.

Host plants

Primary hosts: Rosa sp (dog rose, cultivated rose bushes).
Secondary hosts: Poaceae, cultivated: Triticum (wheat), Zea (maize), Avena (oats), Hordeum (barley), meadow or wild species: Bromus (brome grasses), Dactylis (cocksfoot), Festuca (fescue), Agrostis (bentgrass), Lolium (ryegrass), Poa (bluegrass)...

Particular characteristics

Infestations by M. dirhodum are generally quite mild ones. However, strong proliferations can occur in some years, particularly on maize on which they inflict direct damage.
M. dirhodum is also a vector of the barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), whose transmission depends on the persistent mode.

Natural enemies

The following natural enemies effectively regulate populations of M.dirhodum (photo above with larvae ladybirds).

Parasitoids :

• Aphidius avenae
• Aphidius ervi
• Aphidius rhopalosiphi
• Aphidius uzbekistanicus
• Diaeretiella rapae
• Ephedrus plagiator
• Praon gallicum
• Praon volucre