A Wee Aphid

[Ken Ramos]

Quite small actually, not even discernible with the naked eye. Have nothing much to do on a rainy Sunday morning, I teased a few strands of moss to scan around over at low power and this is what I found.


Very Small Aphid
Sony DSC-P200, manual mode
Zeiss Axiostar Plus
2.5X/0.06 A-Plan
Duel Pipe Fiber Optic Halogen illumination

An odd looking little creature, probably the best shots I have ever got of them before. I have seen them many times but they can be quite active and not very cooperative when it comes to having their photographs taken. Probably the most notable thing about this little creature, is the fact that the two corniculum are missing from the posterior of the abdomen.

[Bruce Williams]

Interesting pics Ken. Seems you're becoming a bit of moss specialist ...and how did you get him to roll over so you could get that shot of his tum then? Oh...I know, you promised him international fame and....

Were these taken with your Mieji?

Bruce

[Ken Ramos]

Bruce asked:

...and how did you get him to roll over so you could get that shot of his tum then?

Were these taken with your Mieji?

I poked him with a dissecting probe

No, the camera on the Meiji is on the blink, so I took these with the Axiostar. I have a 2.5X low power objective for it and I digiscope through a 10X ocular in the phototube.

Thanks Bruce

[rjlittlefield]

Probably the most notable thing about this little creature, is the fact that the two corniculum are missing from the posterior of the abdomen.

Ken, these are nice shots.

I'm no expert on these beasts, but I suspect you may have here one of those pesky adelgids.

Quoting from Bland & Jaques How to Know the Insects (1978), "Family Adelgidae (=Chermidae) Pine and Spruce Aphids. The winged or wingless members of this family lack cornicles ... and wingless females are often covered with waxy filaments. These species live and feed only on needles, twigs, or in galls of conifers. Generally a different kind of conifer acts as an alternate host during part of the year."

There is another closely related family Pemphigidae (=Eriosomatidae), also with "small or absent" cornicles, but in that case "most members have wax glands that produce large amounts of wooly or waxy material that covers part or all of the body".

On the other hand, the good DrBugMan from last year confidently identified an almost naked bug as being Eriosomatidae . It's hard to know exactly how to interpret the descriptions.

In any event, no cornicles means probably not Aphididae, but could be a closely related "aphid".

--Rik

[Ken Ramos]

Rik wrote:

"most members have wax glands that produce large amounts of wooly or waxy material that covers part or all of the body".

Looking through the moss, that is how these little guys appear. Though this particular one was not covered in wax or wool, it and its counterparts usually are. Ah yes, the infamous DrBugMan, wonder if that guy has had a nervous breakdown yet or worse... Maybe he has succumbed to "Morgellons Disease."

Thanks Rik

[beetleman]

You did a great job of capturing this little fellow Ken. She does have a fairly long sucking mouthpart

[Ken Ramos]

Yep, got a pretty good sized beak for sure there Doug, thanks