''Lipaphis erysimi'' is a species of

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Aphididae The Aphididae are a very large insect family in the aphid superfamily ( Aphidoidea), of the order Hemiptera. These insects suck the sap from plant leaves. Several thousand species are placed in this family, many of which are considered plant/cr ...

. Its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s include mustard aphid and turnip aphid. It is found in most temperate and tropical areas of the world and feeds only on

cruciferous Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables of the family Brassicaceae (also called Cruciferae) with many genera, species, and cultivars being raised for food production such as cauliflower, cabbage, kale, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels spr ...

plants. The insects are almost exclusively female and are very prolific, with wingless females producing around one hundred young during a lifespan of a few weeks.

Description

The wingless female is pale green or whitish green with two rows of dark bands on the thorax and abdomen which unite into a single band near the tip of the abdomen. The antennae are dark, the legs are pale with dark joints and the

cornicle The cornicle (or siphuncule) is one of a pair of small upright backward-pointing tubes found on the dorsal side of the 5th or 6th abdominal segments of aphids. They are sometimes mistaken for cercus, cerci. They are no more than pores in some spe ...

s are pale with dark tips. The body is faintly dusted with a white powder. It is between in length. The winged female is a similar size and has a black head and thorax and a pale green abdomen with black bands near the tip and black patches on the sides. The antennae and legs are dark, and the cornicles are black at the base and yellowish towards the tips. Wingless males have occasionally been seen; these are smaller than the females and olive-green to brownish in colour.

Distribution and habitat

Originally a European species, the turnip aphid is now found in most parts of the world in tropical and temperate locations. Host plants include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, radish and turnip, as well as

shepherd's purse ''Capsella bursa-pastoris'', known as shepherd's purse or lady's purse because of its triangular flat fruits, which are purse-like, is a small annual and ruderal flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Scientists have referred to ...

, wild mustard and other

weeds.

Life cycle

The turnip aphid is almost entirely

viviparous In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juve ...

, although eggs have occasionally been seen. It is extremely prolific and in warm places such as Texas, a maximum of thirty-five generations per year have been recorded. The wingless females produce up to six offspring per day over a period of twenty to forty days, a total of eighty to one hundred young. Winged females are able to disperse to other plants, but produce fewer offspring.

Ecology

This aphid is found on older leaves of brassica plants and on the roots. It is one of several species of aphid to feed on brassicas; the cabbage aphid (''Brevicoryne brassicae'') feeds only on these plants, while the green peach aphid is found on many crops and plants including brassicas. The cabbage aphid can be distinguished by its waxy coating and its dense colonies on young growth, while the green peach aphid is dispersed around the brassica plant, occurring mainly on the older leaves of its host. The species can be a

vector Vector most often refers to: * Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction * Disease vector, an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematics a ...

of at least ten plant viruses including cabbage black ringspot virus, radish mosaic virus,

cauliflower mosaic virus Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) is a member of the genus ''Caulimovirus'', one of the six genera in the family ''Caulimoviridae'', which are pararetroviruses that infect plants. Pararetroviruses replicate through reverse transcription just like ...

and turnip mosaic virus.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10563066 Hemiptera of Europe Macrosiphini Agricultural pest insects Insect vectors of plant pathogens Insects described in 1843 Taxa named by Johann Heinrich Kaltenbach