Morphological characters

1.5-2.4 mm.
Apterous: dirty yellow to ochre or dark olive-brown, stripes pigmented on thorax and first abdominal segments, cornicles strongly bulging.
Alate: olive-green to dark brown, abdominal patch dark, antennae long and fine, cornicles strongly bulging, cauda digitate

See identification file

Life cycles

Dioecious holocyclic and anholocyclic on secondary hosts.

Host plants

Primary host: Staphylea (bladdernut).
Secondary hosts: flowering plants: including  Tulipa (tulip), Hemerocallis (day lily), Crocus (crocus), Viola (violet), also Chenopodiaceae

Agronomic impact

R. staphyleae does not appear frequently, however it is a vector of various viruses, including beet mosaic and yellow viruses.