aphid

a·phid

A0363100 (ā′fĭd, ăf′ĭd)n. Any of various small, soft-bodied insects of the superfamily Aphidoidea that feed by sucking sap from plants and that can reproduce asexually. Also called plant louse.

[New Latin Aphis, Aphid-, type genus, coined by Carolus Linnaeus, perhaps as a back-formed singular *Aphīs, from plural *Aphīdes, irregularly derived from Greek apheideis, plural of apheidēs, unsparing, unmerciful, lavish (in reference to the damage caused by aphids or to their high reproductive rate) : a-, not; see a-¹ + pheidesthai, to spare, be merciful, live thriftily; see bheid- in Indo-European roots.]

a·phid′i·an (ə-fĭd′ē-ən) adj. & n.

aphid

(ˈeɪfɪd) n (Animals) any of the small homopterous insects of the family Aphididae, which feed by sucking the juices from plants. Also called: plant louse See also greenfly, blackfly[C19: back formation from aphides, plural of aphis] aphidian adj, n aˈphidious adj

a•phid

(ˈeɪ fɪd, ˈæf ɪd)

n. any of numerous tiny soft-bodied insects of the family Aphididae that suck the sap from the stems and leaves of various plants. Also called plant louse. [1880–85; back formation from aphides, pl. of aphis] a•phid•i•an (əˈfɪd i ən) adj., n.

a·phid

(ā′fĭd, ăf′ĭd) Any of various small, soft-bodied insects that feed by sucking sap from plants. Aphids can be very destructive and can transmit plant diseases.

Thesaurus

Noun

aphid - any of various small plant-sucking insectsplant louse, louse - any of several small insects especially aphids that feed by sucking the juices from plantsAphidoidea, superfamily Aphidoidea - plant liceAphis pomi, apple aphid, green apple aphid - bright green aphid; feeds on and causes curling of apple leavesAphis fabae, bean aphid, blackfly - blackish aphid that infests e.g. beans and sugar beetsgreenfly - greenish aphid; pest on garden and crop plantsant cow - excretes a honeylike substance eaten by antswoolly aphid, woolly plant louse - secretes a waxy substance like a mass of fine curly white cotton or woolly threads

Translations

蚜虫

aphid

(ˈeifid) noun a very small insect that lives on plants, especially a greenfly. 蚜虫

aphid

plant louse,

tiny, usually green, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insect injurious to vegetation. It is also called greenfly and blight. Aphids are mostly under 1-4 in. (6 mm) long. Some are wingless; others have two pairs of transparent or colored wings, the front pair longer than the hind pair. In typical aphids (family Aphididae), two tubes called cornicles project from the rear of the abdomen and exude protective substances. Aphids feed by inserting their beaks into stems, leaves, or roots, and sucking the plant juices. Usually they gather in large colonies.

The life cycle of aphids is complex and varies in different species. In a typical life cycle, several generations of wingless females, which reproduce asexually (see parthenogenesisparthenogenesis
[Gr.,=virgin birth], in biology, a form of reproduction in which the ovum develops into a new individual without fertilization. Natural parthenogenesis has been observed in many lower animals (it is characteristic of the rotifers), especially insects, e.g.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and bear live offspring, are followed by a generation of winged females, which bears a sexually reproducing, egg-laying generation of males and females. Mating usually occurs in fall, and the eggs are laid in crevices of the twigs of the host plant; the first generation of wingless females hatches in spring. Different host plants and different parts of the plant may be used at different stages of the life cycle.

Some aphids (e.g., the woolly apple aphid) secrete long strands of waxy material from wax glands, forming a conspicuous woolly coating for their colonies. Gall-making aphids live in gallsgall,
abnormal growth, or hypertrophy, of plant tissue produced by chemical or mechanical (e.g., the rubbing together of two branches) irritants or hormones. Chemical irritants are released by parasitic fungi, bacteria, nematode worms, gall insects, and mites.
..... Click the link for more information. , or swellings of plant tissue, formed by the plant as a reaction to substances secreted by the insects; galls of different aphid species are easily identified (e.g., the cockscomb gall of elm leaves). One group of aphids lives only on conifers (e.g., the eastern spruce gall aphid).

Ant Cows

Many kinds of aphid secrete a sweet substance called honeydew, prized as food by ants, flies, and bees. This substance consists of partially digested, highly concentrated plant sap and other wastes, and is excreted from the anus, often in copious amounts. Certain aphid species have a symbiotic relationship with various species of ants that resembles the relationship of domestic cattle to humans; hence the name "ant cows" for aphids. The ants tend the aphids, transporting them to their food plants at the appropriate stages of the aphids' life cycle and sheltering the aphid eggs in their nests during the winter. The aphids, in turn, provide honeydew for the ants.

Damage to Plants

The damage done by aphids is due to a number of causes, including loss of sap, clogging of leaf surfaces with honeydew, and growth of molds and fungi on the honeydew. Leaf curl, a common symptom of aphid infestation, occurs when a colony attacks the underside of a leaf, causing its desiccation. The downward curl provides protection for the colony, but the leaf becomes useless to the plant. Some species also transmit viral diseases of plants. Among the aphids causing serious damage to food crops are the grain, cabbage, cornroot, apple, woolly apple, and hickory aphids and the alder and beech tree blights. The phylloxeraphylloxera
, small, sap-eating, greenish insect of the genus Phylloxera, closely related to the aphid. Phylloxeras feed on leaves and roots, and many species produce galls on deciduous trees.
..... Click the link for more information. , notorious for its damage to vineyards, is closely related to the aphids.

Many larger insects that feed on aphids, such as ladybird beetles and lacewings, are used as biological controls of aphid infestations. Fungal infection and damp weather also help limit the number of aphids.

Classification

Aphids are classified in several families of the phylum ArthropodaArthropoda
[Gr.,=jointed feet], largest and most diverse animal phylum. The arthropods include crustaceans, insects, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions, and the extinct trilobites.
..... Click the link for more information. , class Insecta, order Homoptera.

aphid

[ā·fəd] (invertebrate zoology) The common name applied to the soft-bodied insects of the family Aphididae; they are phytophagous plant pests and vectors for plant viruses and fungal parasites.

aphid

any of the small homopterous insects of the family Aphididae, which feed by sucking the juices from plants

aphid

a·phid

aphid

a•phid

a·phid

aphid

aphid

aphid

plant louse,

Ant Cows

Damage to Plants

Classification

aphid

aphid

aphid

aphid

APHID

aphid

Words related to aphid

noun any of various small plant-sucking insects

Related Words