Macrosiphum rosae (Linnaeus)

Taxonomic placing: Insecta, Hemimetabola, Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Aphidoidea, Aphididae.

Common name: Rose aphid.

Geographical distribution: Cosmopolitan, occurring wherever roses are found.

Host plants: Roses (Rosa spp.) and plants in about 15 families.

Morphology: The body of apterous females is green-brown; the legs and the long siphunculi are brown-black and the long cauda is pale. The alate females are similar to the apterae, except that the head and thorax are dark. The body of both female forms is 3-4 mm long and their antennae are longer than the bodies.

Life cycle: In the Middle East this aphid reproduces throughout the year on roses by viviparous parthenogenesis. During summer it also occurs on other Rosaceae, such as apple and pear. At 22.5ºC it completes a generation in about one week, produces ca 35 progeny and lives almost three weeks. In cooler regions males and females occur in winter, mate, and the females lay eggs on rose canes.

Economic importance: This pest stunts the growth of roses, infesting their leaves, buds, young shoots and flowers, greatly reducing their market value. Much damage can occur when large colonies develop on the buds and the growing points. The aphid produces very little honeydew, which is colonized by sootymold fungi, that further reduce market value. Abroad the rose aphid vectors several virus diseases (but not of roses), including the debilitating PVY.

Management

Chemical control: This aphid is a minor pest, which may be controlled with organophosphates.

Biological control: The rose aphid is attacked by the specific endoparasitoid Praon rosaecola Stary, (Aphidiidae), which greatly reduces pest numbers. Satisfactory control with the coccinellid Harmonia axyridis Pallas was reported from France.

References

Basky, Z. and A. Almasi. 2005. Differences in aphid transmissibility and translocation between PVYN and PVYO isolates. Journal of Pest Science 78: 67–75.

Ferran, A. (and 7 co-authors). 1996. The use of Harmonia axyridis larvae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) against Macrosiphum rosae (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae) on rose bushes. European Journal of Entomology 93: 59-67.

Mescheloff, E. and Rosen, D. 1988. Biosystematic studies on the Aphidiidae of Israel (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea). 2. The genera Ephedrus and Praon. Israel Journal of Entomology 22: 75-100.

Olmez, S., Bayhan, E. and Ulusoy, M.R. 2003. Effect of different temperatures on the biological parameters of Macrosiphum rosae (L.) (Homoptera: Aphididae). Zeitschrift für Pflanzenkrankheiten und Pflanzenschutz 110: 203-208.

Swirski, E. and Amitai, S. 1999. Annotated list of aphids (Aphidoidea) in Israel. Israel Journal of Entomology 33: 1-120.

Websites: http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/hemipt/Rose%20Aphid.htm