Prociphilus xylostei (De Geer, 1773)

Albrecht, Anders Christian, 2015, Identification guide to Nordic aphids associated with mosses, horsetails and ferns (Bryophyta, Equisetophyta, Polypodiophyta) (Insecta, Hemiptera, Aphidoidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 145, pp. 1-55 : 27

Prociphilus xylostei (deGeer, 1773)

Fig. 21

Diagnosis

Apterae 1.2–2 mm, pale green with large wax gland plates (and wax tufts unless worn off) on head and abdomen. RIV+V = 0.2 × HT2, without pale subapical zone. Legs and antennae slender. Dioecious. Alternating between honeysuckle Lonicera (Caprifoliaceae) and thin, mycorrhizal Picea abies roots ( Pinaceae ), where the colonies are coated with wax wool and where the aphids may hibernate. P. xylostei apparently has a continuous anholocyclic population on spruce roots. Common in moss samples from spruce forests.

Distribution

D F N S.

Figures

Fig. 21. Prociphilus xylostei (deGeer, 1773). A–B. Apt. on mycorrhizal Picea abies roots under Pleurozium schreberi.