Aphids - Reproductive Habits, Ants And Aphids
species called thin cornicles
Aphids are insects in the order Homoptera, which are also known as plant lice. Some 3,800 species of aphids have been identified worldwide with 1,300 species occurring in North America, which includes some 80 species that are pests of crops and ornamental plants. Aphids have a distinctive pear-shaped body, and most are soft and green in color. The wings are transparent and are held in a tent-like position over the abdomen, which has a short tail, called a cauda. The legs are long and thin, and the antennae are thin and have six segments. Two tube-like structures, called cornicles, project from the fifth or sixth abdominal segments of aphids. The cornicles excrete a defensive chemical when the aphid is threatened.
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Aphids have a complicated life cycle and reproduction habits that make them extremely adaptable to their host plants and environments. When aphid eggs that have overwintered on their host plants hatch in the spring, they produce females without wings. These females and are capable of reproducing asexually, a process called parthenogenesis. Several asexual generations of aphids may be produced duri…
An intimate, symbiotic relationship exists between ants and aphids. They are often compared to cattle, with the ants acting as protectors and ranchers. What aphids have that ants want is something called honeydew, a sweet substance that is excreted by aphids through their anus and contains surplus sugar from the aphid's diet. Ants protect aphid eggs during the winter, and carry the newly ha…
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