black bean aphid

Black bean aphid is a common, exotic, small aphid. It is native to Europe and Asia, and it has been widely introduced elsewhere. It now occurs in the temperate regions of the world, including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, North America, and South America. The first North American record was in New York state in 1870.

Black bean aphid feeds on a very wide variety of plants. It has been recorded on almost 300 species of plants in almost 120 plant families. It is an economically important pest of many agricultural crops, including beans, beets, cruciferous vegetables, cucurbits, peas, potatoes, sunflower, tobacco, tomato, and tulip. It causes direct feeding damage to the plant, it reduces the number of seeds produced, and it transmits more than 40 plant viruses.

The primary host, where aphids reproduce sexually and eggs overwinter, are shrubs in the genera Euonymus and Viburnum. The secondary hosts, where aphids reproduce asexually, include more than 200 herbaceous species of wild and cultivated plants.

Unwinged female adults (apterae) are 1⁄32″to ⅛″ (1.2 to 2.9 mm) in length. The body is soft, broadly oval, and dull dark brown to matte black (dark). It sometimes has a distinct greenish hue. The head and the upper plate on the first segment of the thorax (pronotum) are not fused. The antennae have 6 segments, and they are shorter than the body. The third and fourth segment, and the base of the fifth segment, are usually pale. The remaining segments are dark. There are two conspicuous compound eyes with many facets. On top of the head there are three simple eyes (ocelli) in a broad triangle. On the rear side margin of each compound eye there is another small eye (triommatidium) with just three facets. The beak-like projection of mouthparts (rostrum) is relatively long. It has five segments, but segments 4 and 5 are fused together, making it appear to have only four segments.

On each abdominal segment, including segments 1 and 7, there is a small, rounded bump near each lateral margin (marginal tubercles). The marginal tubercles are small, and they are sometimes difficult to distinguish from breathing pores (spiracles). There is a pair of elongated processes (cornicles) near the end of the abdomen. The cornicles are small, stump-like, and pale. The tail-like appendage (cauda) is short and is distinctly constricted near the base. The cornicles and the cauda are dark.

The legs are black and pale.

Immature winged females (alates) have two distinct, waxy, white spots on abdominal segments 1 through 5. Adult alates sometimes also have these spots, but they are otherwise similar to adult apterae.

On the forewings, the median vein is forked twice, and three of the branches reach the wing margin. Veins Cu₁ and Cu₂ are present.

Total length: 1⁄32″to ⅛″ (1.2 to 2.9 mm)

Primary hosts: Euonymus spp. and Viburnum spp. shrubs

Secondary hoists: more than 200 species of herbaceous plants

On alates, the wings are held vertically or roof-like over the body when at rest, never flat over the body.

Sexual forms occur in fall. They lay their eggs on Euonymus spp. and Viburnum spp. The eggs overwinter.

Plant juices

Sources

22, 29, 30, 82, 83.

Common and widespread

The former subspecies Aphis fabae solanella has been raised to full species status as Aphis solanella. Some authors treat the subspecies Aphis fabae evonymi as the full species Aphis evonymi.

Aphis fabae
Lloyd-Davies

M𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐝 (𝐀𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐞) 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦...
[Ɇ 𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕣] 𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓱𝓪𝓿

Ants and Aphids: Origins of Animal Husbandry
Carl Barrentine

Black bean aphid - Aphis fabae - on Burdock - Velcro plant - Krókalappa
Hellen Linda Drake

Alfredo Colon
8/3/2022

Location: Albany, NY