Apiomorpha is a genus of scale insect that induces galls on species of Eucalyptus. Galls are initiated by first-instar nymphs (crawlers) on new plant growth and, when mature, the galls exhibit marked sexual dimorphism. Those induced by females are among the largest and most spectacular of arthropod-induced galls whereas those of males are small and most are tubular.Gullan, P.J. 1984. A revision of the gall-forming coccoid genus Apiomorpha Rübsaamen (Homoptera: Eriococcidae: Apiomorphinae). Aust. J. Zool. Suppl. Ser. 97:1-203. doi:10.1071/AJZS097 Apiomorpha is known only from Australia and New Guinea although its host, Eucalyptus, has a wider distribution into Indonesia as well.
Apiomorpha is currently classified in the Eriococcidae,Miller, D. & Ben-Dov, Y. 2005. ScaleNet but this family is not monophyletic.
Morphology
Like other scale insects, Apiomorpha is highly sexually dimorphic. Adult females are wingless, have very small (or no) eyes, and their legs are short and stubby. A female remains within the gall she initiated when a crawler, mating through the small apical opening of her gall. She reproduces inside the gall and her tiny offspring (≤ 0.4 mm) escape through the same small opening. Adult females of Apiomorpha can range in length from 2 mm to 45 mm, depending on species, and can live up to five years as adults. In contrast, adult males of Apiomorpha are small (about 1 mm in length) and winged. Like males of other eriococcids, they do not have a mouth and, instead, have an extra pair of eyes on the underside of their head (i.e., they have four eyes, two on top and two underneath). Males leave their galls as adults and search for females. They are weak fliers and typically walk on their host plant looking for females before taking to the air. After leaving their gall, adult males only live about one day.
Species
Apiomorpha amarooensis Brimblecombe, 1959 Apiomorpha annulata Froggatt, 1930 Apiomorpha attenuata (Froggatt, 1898) Apiomorpha baeuerleni (Froggatt, 1893) Apiomorpha calycina (Tepper, 1893) Apiomorpha conica (Froggatt, 1893) Apiomorpha crispa (Fuller, 1896) Apiomorpha cucurbita Fuller, 1897 Apiomorpha densispinosa Gullan, 1984 Apiomorpha dipsaciformis (Froggatt, 1895) Apiomorpha duplex (Schrader, 1863) Apiomorpha excupula (Fuller, 1896) Apiomorpha floralis (Froggatt, 1898) Apiomorpha frenchi Froggatt, 1921 Apiomorpha gongylocarpae Mills, Garland, Semple & Cook, 2016 Apiomorpha gullanae Cook, 2003 Apiomorpha helmsii Fuller, 1897 Apiomorpha hilli Froggatt, 1921 Apiomorpha intermedia Gullan, 1984 Apiomorpha jucundacrispi Mills, Garland, Semple & Cook, 2016 Apiomorpha karschi Rübsaamen, 1894 Apiomorpha longiloba Brimblecombe, 1959 Apiomorpha macqueeni Froggatt, 1929 Apiomorpha maliformis Fuller, 1897 Apiomorpha malleeacola Gullan, 1984 Apiomorpha munita (Schrader, 1863) Apiomorpha nookara Mills, MacDonald, Rigby & Cook, 2011 Apiomorpha ovicola (Schrader, 1863) Apiomorpha ovicoloides (Tepper, 1893) Apiomorpha pedunculata (Fuller, 1896) Apiomorpha pharetrata (Schrader, 1863) Apiomorpha pileata (Schrader, 1863) (type species of "Apiomorpha") Apiomorpha pomaphora Gullan & Jones, 1989Gullan P.J. & Jones M.G. (1989). A new species of gall-forming coccoid (Insecta: Homoptera: Eriococcidae) from Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum. 14, 321-329. Apiomorpha regularis (Tepper, 1893) Apiomorpha rosaeformis (Froggatt, 1895) Apiomorpha sessilis (Froggatt, 1895) Apiomorpha sloanei (Froggatt, 1898) Apiomorpha spinifer Froggatt, 1930 Apiomorpha strombylosa (Tepper, 1893) Apiomorpha subconica (Tepper, 1893) Apiomorpha tepperi Gullan, 1984 Apiomorpha thorntoni (Tepper, 1893) Apiomorpha urnalis (Tepper, 1893) Apiomorpha variabilis (Froggatt, 1893) Apiomorpha withersi Froggatt, 1931
References