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1.1-2.4 mm.              
Apterous: abdomen glossy, light brown or yellowish brown, with cornicles swollen.
Alate: dorsal patch black, ventral patches arranged in pairs, antennae long, fine and black, cornicles swollen and black, cauda triangular and black.

See identification file

The species is apparently exclusively anholocyclic; there are no known sexual morphs.

Polyphagous with a preference for Liliaceae and Solanaceae.
Many different families including: Liliaceae: Allium (shallots and onions), Solanaceae, Brassicaceae: Brassica (cabbage), Asteraceae: Lactuca (lettuce), Apiaceae.

Particular charcteristics

M. ascalonicus can become installed in stored plant produce like Liliaceae bulbs and potatoes tubercles. It also colonizes diverse plants cultivated under shelter.

M. ascalonicus causes extensive damage on shallots and a wide range of bulbs during the preservation process. This leads to growth malformations in the future crops once planted.
As the produce grows, colonies induce malformation of foliage and inflorescences.
M. ascalonicus is a vector of numerous viruses such as: serious beet yellow and mild yellow viruses (BYV, BMYV), mosaic viruses of cauliflower (CaMV), cucumber (CMV), turnip (TuMV) and onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV).