#aphididae — Public Fediverse posts

#MiteMonday: As I watched this aphid laden with parasitic larval mites, one small light-coloured one climbed off the aphid and ran away over the leaf. The aphid, disturbed by me handling the leaf, began walking away and shed a few more mites. So the mites seem ready to detach as needed at any stage, which is interesting I think.

Also does this count as a parasite on a parasite? :thonking:

#Mitestodon #mites #bugstodon #insects #aphids #parasitism #Acari #Acariformes #Parasitengona #Hemiptera #Aphididae

#DailyMitePic: These aphids on a dill plant are being parasitized by larval parasitengone mites *and* also being hunted by an adult _Allothrombium_ sumo mite, elegantly illustrating the typical Parasitengona lifestyle.

It's possible the little ones are larval _Allothrombium_. I may collect some and see if I can rear them to adulthood so they can be identified.

#bugstodon #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Parasitengona #Trombidiidae #insects #aphids #Hemiptera #Aphididae #parasites #parasitism #ArthroBeauty

On the menu today for the whirligig mites:

- aphid?
- big plant bug
- little plant bug
- sidewalk mite

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #bugstodon #arachnids #mites #insects #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae #Erythraeidae #Hemiptera #Miridae #Aphididae

On today's whirligig mite menu: aphid, plant bug nymph.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #mites #bugstodon #insects #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae #Hemiptera #Heteroptera #Miridae #Aphididae

Anyway,

> We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
>
> […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

#entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

Yesterday, among some big willows down by the lake, I saw an amazing phenomenon: the grass was absolutely swarming with yellowjackets (there was one every few inches), and, when I looked up, I saw the trees were too!

They didn't seem to be coming from any particular point. I wondered if it was their Sex Day or something, but though I looked closely I didn't see any mating or really any interaction with each other at all. And in the trees I also saw other insects—bald-faced hornets, mud daubers, potter wasps, even what looked like mini dragonflies. Watching the wasps on the ground, I noticed they seemed to be…licking?

Then I noticed the dark blue giant willow aphids. Not that many on the ground, and the wasps were ignoring them. But then I looked at low-hanging branches and saw clusters of aphids, and then I felt…tiny drops!

There were so many aphids in the willow trees that they were showering the branches, leaves, and ground with honeydew (sugary excretions), in turn attracting wasps feeding on it!

Anyway that was just a cool little thing to figure out.

#bugstodon #InverteFest #insects #aphids #Hemiptera #Aphididae

Yesterday, among some big willows down by the lake, I saw an amazing phenomenon: the grass was absolutely swarming with yellowjackets (there was one every few inches), and, when I looked up, I saw the trees were too!

They didn't seem to be coming from any particular point. I wondered if it was their Sex Day or something, but though I looked closely I didn't see any mating or really any interaction with each other at all. And in the trees I also saw other insects—bald-faced hornets, mud daubers, potter wasps, even what looked like mini dragonflies. Watching the wasps on the ground, I noticed they seemed to be…licking?

Then I noticed the dark blue giant willow aphids. Not that many on the ground, and the wasps were ignoring them. But then I looked at low-hanging branches and saw clusters of aphids, and then I felt…tiny drops!

There were so many aphids in the willow trees that they were showering the branches, leaves, and ground with honeydew (sugary excretions), in turn attracting wasps feeding on it!

Anyway that was just a cool little thing to figure out.

#bugstodon #InverteFest #insects #aphids #Hemiptera #Aphididae

#MiteMonday: Did you know? Legally, you can take as many photos of ants farming ridiculously mite-infested aphids as you want. No one can stop you.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #ants #aphids #Acari #parasitism #Parasitengona #Hemiptera #Aphididae #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

#MiteMonday: Did you know? Legally, you can take as many photos of ants farming ridiculously mite-infested aphids as you want. No one can stop you.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #ants #aphids #Acari #parasitism #Parasitengona #Hemiptera #Aphididae #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

#MiteMonday: an oddly colourless whirligig mite (family Anystidae) feeds on a red _Uroleucon_ aphid. Hmmm… :thonking:

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #aphids #Aphididae

#MiteMonday: an oddly colourless whirligig mite (family Anystidae) feeds on a red _Uroleucon_ aphid. Hmmm… :thonking:

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #aphids #Aphididae

A _Uroleucon_ aphid is born! It's a girl…and it's a girl!

Aphids can reproduce asexually, and they give live birth, AND their clone babies are born already pregnant with their own clones. This helps them multiply so fast. (They can also switch to sexual reproduction and laying eggs.)

Note the cluster of orange-red parasitic mites on the mother aphid! They're something from the large group Parasitengona (which includes red velvet mites, sidewalk mites, etc.), but I need to do more research to narrow it down.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #parasitism #bugstodon #insects #aphids #Acari #Parasitengona #Hemiptera #Aphididae

A _Uroleucon_ aphid is born! It's a girl…and it's a girl!

Aphids can reproduce asexually, and they give live birth, AND their clone babies are born already pregnant with their own clones. This helps them multiply so fast. (They can also switch to sexual reproduction and laying eggs.)

Note the cluster of orange-red parasitic mites on the mother aphid! They're something from the large group Parasitengona (which includes red velvet mites, sidewalk mites, etc.), but I need to do more research to narrow it down.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #parasitism #bugstodon #insects #aphids #Acari #Parasitengona #Hemiptera #Aphididae

bugs of Scarborough Civic Centre!!

1. tiny fierce crab spider in aster
2. worst bumblebee pic
3. the sedums were full of whirligig mites
4. aphids on those tall plants that look kind of like dandelions but, unlike dandelions, are always covered in aphids

#ArthroBeauty #DailySpiderPic #DailyMitePic #bugstodon #arachnids #spiders #mites #insects #bees #aphids #Araneae #Thomisidae #Acari #Anystidae #Hymenoptera #Apidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae #macro

bugs of Scarborough Civic Centre!!

1. tiny fierce crab spider in aster
2. worst bumblebee pic
3. the sedums were full of whirligig mites
4. aphids on those tall plants that look kind of like dandelions but, unlike dandelions, are always covered in aphids

#ArthroBeauty #DailySpiderPic #DailyMitePic #bugstodon #arachnids #spiders #mites #insects #bees #aphids #Araneae #Thomisidae #Acari #Anystidae #Hymenoptera #Apidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae #macro

This evening I noticed a clump of large carpenter ants (_Camponotus_), normally frantic, just standing around. A closer look revealed they were tending to giant willow aphids (_Tuberolachnus salignus_)!

#InsectSaturday #arthropods #insects #ants #aphids #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

This evening I noticed a clump of large carpenter ants (_Camponotus_), normally frantic, just standing around. A closer look revealed they were tending to giant willow aphids (_Tuberolachnus salignus_)!

#InsectSaturday #arthropods #insects #ants #aphids #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

Some aphids in Central Park. I do not know enough about aphids to identify the different species.

#aphids #aphididae #insects #entomology #macro #ultramacro #centralpark #nycparks #canonphotography #luminarneo

Some aphids in Central Park. I do not know enough about aphids to identify the different species.

#aphids #aphididae #insects #entomology #macro #ultramacro #centralpark #nycparks #canonphotography #luminarneo