Aspidophorodon obtusum Qiao, 2015

Xu, Ying, Jiang, Li-Yun, Chen, Jing, Kholmatov, Bakhtiyor Rustamovich & Qiao, Ge-Xia, 2022, Six new species of Aspidophorodon Verma, 1967 (Hemiptera, Aphididae, Aphidinae) from China, ZooKeys 1106, pp. 1-55 : 1

Aspidophorodon obtusum Qiao, 2015

Aspidophorodon (Aspidophorodon) obtusum Qiao: Chen et al., 2015: 557,563.

Specimens examined.

Two apterous viviparous females and four fundatrices (holotype and paratypes), China: Sichuan (Luding County, Minya Konka ), 16.V.2009, No. 22562-1-3-1, on Salix sp., coll. X.M. Su ; one apterous viviparous female (slide) and one apterous viviparous (COI: OK668441 ), Sichuan (Luding County, Minya Konka ), 30.IX.2019, No. 47777-1-2, on Cotoneaster sp., coll. J.F. Ji.

Comments.

The species have been collected on Salix cupularis in May ( Chen et al. 2015) and on Cotoneaster sp. in September. The population on Cotoneaster sp. is without marginal processes, which differs from ones on Salix cupularis in morphological characteristics. However, the DNA sequences of the samples from both host plants are aligned 100% and other characters are similar between the two populations; therefore, there are two different host plant morphs in this species.

Aspidophoron being neuter, the adjectival specific epithet is also neuter, so Aspidophoron obtusus is revised as Aspidophoron obtusum .

Host plant.

Salix cupularis , Cotoneaster sp. ( Rosaceae ).

Distribution.

China: Sichuan.

Biology.

The species colonizes the undersides of leaves of its host plants (Fig. 21G ). The life cycle is unknown.

Figures

Figure 21. The ecological photos of Aspidophorodon in the field A an aptera of Aspidophorodon capitatum Qiao & Xu, sp. nov. on underside of leaf B, C the apterae and nymphs of Aspidophorodon longituberculatum (Zhang, Zhong & Zhang) on main veins and part lateral veins of underside of leaf D, E the apterae, alatae and nymphs of Aspidophorodon longituberculatum (Zhang, Zhong & Zhang) on main veins and part lateral veins of underside of leaves F an aptera and a nymph of Aspidophorodon harvense Verma on a twig G the apterae of Aspidophorodon obtusum Qiao on underside of leaf H-J the apterae and nymphs of Aspidophorodon salicis Miyazaki on underside of leaf.