Aphis roberti Nieto Nafría, Ortego & Mier Durante, 1999

Rodríguez, Sandra González, Brown, Paul A., Ortego, Jaime, López Ciruelos, Sara I. & Nieto Nafría, Juan M., 2017, Aphis species (Hemiptera, Aphididae) living on Mulinum (Apiaceae) in South America, with a description of a new species, Zootaxa 4216 (1), pp. 47-54 : 50-51

Aphis roberti Nieto Nafría, Ortego & Mier Durante, 1999

Studied material. CHUBUT: Esquel, 19-I-2000, Mulinum spinosum (ARG-1734); Los Tamariscos, 20-I-2000, M. spinosum (ARG-113) . MENDOZA: Malargüe, El Azufre, 26-III-2 0 0 2, M. spinosum (ARG-628); Malargüe, Ranquil Norte, 16-I-2000, M. spinosum (ARG-1733); Malargüe, Refugio Club Andino, 13-III-2 0 0 3, M. spinosum (ARG-951) . NEUQUEN: Epulauquen, 6-XII-1998, M. spinosum (ARG-251), & 25-I-2000, M. spinosum (ARG- 491) . RÍO NEGRO: Dina Huapi , 19-I-2000, M. spinosum (ARG-384).

The apterous viviparous females are the only known morph of the species previously described.

Some quantitative differences between the type series and later-collected specimens have been observed ( Table 2 ).

Alate viviparous females (from a total of 6 specimens from samples ARG-251, ARG-628 and ARG-951). Dull black when alive. Mounted specimens with antennae, coxae, trochanters, most part of femora, proximal and distal portions of tibiae, tarsi, siphunculi and cauda dark brown to black. Antennal segment III with, 9–15 secondary sensoria, round and aligned on the ventral face; antennal segment IV with 1–5 secondary sensoria, exceptionally without them. Abdominal segments 1 to 6 with marginal abdominal sclerites (always spinulate and frequently wide), sometimes abdominal segments 2 to 5 with spinal sclerites or spinopleural stripes; segment 6 with a spinal or spinopleural sclerite and segments 7 and 8 with individual transverse stripes. Siphunculi with small flange and ornamented with spinules forming scales. Quantitative characteristics are in Table 2 .

Oviparous female (from one specimen of sample ARG-628). Body pear-shaped, with gradually prolonged postsiphuncular portion of abdomen. Live colour unknown. Mounted specimens with antennal segments I, II and VI and distal portions of III, IV and V brownish, other parts pale. Coxae and femora brown, darker than very distal portion of tibiae and tarsi. Hind tibia tenuously swollen and carrying 142–160 pale scent plates over approximately proximal 2/3 of its length. Dorsum of prothorax and mesothorax partially sclerotized and pigmented. Mesothorax and abdominal segments 1 to 6 with small spinal and marginal setiferous sclerites; abdominal segments 7 and 8 with individual stripes tenuously pigmented. Siphunculi very small, without flange and as dark as hind femora, like anal plate and cauda. Other quantitative characteristics are in Table 2 .

Males, winged (from 8 specimens of sample ARG-628). Very similar in sclerotization and pigmentation to alate viviparous females but with shorter siphunculi and cauda, and secondary sensoria over the complete length of antennal segment III, IV and V, respectively 31–44, 20–30 and 13–23 in number. Other quantitative characteristics are in Table 2 .

The previously known distribution of the species (Argentinean province of Chubut and Chilean Region XI) is now extended North on the Argentine side of the Andes to Mendoza ( Fig. 1 ).

apterous viv. females alatae viv. oviparous males type specimens new material females female

Figures

FIGURE 1. Partial maps of South America with the approximate position of the localities in which specimens of Aphis species living on Mulinum have been recorded.