A Description of Aphis (Doralis) rumicis, L., and Comparison with Aphis (Doralis) fabae, Scop.

Abstract

Linnaeus (1746) described a black aphis which he found on Rumex sp. and called it Aphis rumicis. Fabricius (1794) described a black aphis “ Aphis rumicis,” found “in Rumice acuto” and mentioned pale antennae and tibiae. Risso (1826) recorded a species, Doralis rumicis, Leach, found in the Mediterranean region, but did not describe it. Koch (1857) recorded Aphis rumicis, L., from Rumex crispus, feeding chiefly on the stems and flower-stalks. This aphis is also frequently found on thistles and beans. The apterous female has black antennae, white only at the base of the long “ fourth joint.” The wing-pads and thorax of the alate nymphs are olive-green. Kaltenbach (1874) described black Aphids developing from eggs on dock, and having a second winged generation which settles on beans, thistles, Chenopodium sp., and other plants. He observed that the Aphid colonies are on the leaves and flower-stalks. Buckton (1879) gave an illustrated account of a black aphis, Aphis rumicis, L., which has a large number of food-plants including Rumex crispus, Carduus lanceolalus, and broad bean, with furze as its winter host. He noticed the presence of large white flecks on the “pupae.”