Aphis genistae is an aphid of the family Aphididae.Biolib
Distribution This species can be found in most of Europe eastward to Ukraine and Turkey, and in the Nearctic realm (it has been introduced to North America).Fauna europaea
Description Aphis genistae can reach a length of . Apterae are black, coated with wax meal, while alatae have 4-8 secondary rhinaria.Aphids on Worlds Plants
Biology These insects mainly feed on small branches and flowers of Genista anglica, Genista lydia and Genista tinctoria (hence the species name),Ecological Flora of the British Isles but they have also been collected on Laburnum, Cytisus, Petteria, Spartium and Sophora species.Wink, M.; Witte, L., Storage of quinolizidine alkaloids in Macrosiphum albifrons and Aphis genistae (Homoptera: Aphididae), Entomol. Gener., 1991, 15, 4, 237-254 These aphids sometimes have a mutualistic relationship with ants. They are holocyclic (sex is involved, leading to egg production) and oviparae. Sexual females mate with the alate males in September to produce overwintering eggs.
Bibliography
Kaltenbach (1843), Monographie der Familien der Pflanzenläuse (Phytophthires), P. Fagot, Aachen 222 pp
References
External links Les Hemipteres du Quebec