R. latysiphon

Rhopalosiphoninus latysiphon (Davidson, 1912)

Potato tuber aphid
Rhopalosiphoninus latysiphon : adulte aptère
Rhopalosiphoninus latysiphon : adulte ailé
Rhopalosiphoninus latysiphon : colonie

Morphological characters

1.4-2.5 mm.                      
Apterous: olive-green with a patch which covers the whole abdomen; cornicles black, glossy and very strongly bulging in their central part.
Alate: dark olive-green, plump with trapezoid abdominal patch; cornicles strongly bulging and black, cauda medium-sized, triangular and dark.

Life cycles

Anholocyclic.

Host plants

Polyphagous, R. latysiphon colonizes the bulbs and roots of numerous plants: Solanum tuberosum (potato), Tulipa (tulip), Gladiolus (gladioli).

Agronomic impact

R. latysiphon lives on roots and leaves of plants, on stored bulbs, potato sprouts where it forms densely populated sleeves.
It affects plants’ germination power.
It is a vector of the potato leafroll virus (PLRV).

Modification date: 23 May 2024 | Publication date: 04 November 2010 | By: Evelyne Turpeau, Maurice Hullé, Bernard Chaubet