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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #398104
Research Project: Systematics of Acari and Hemiptera: Plant Pests, Predators, and Disease Vectors

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Myzus fataunae Shinji, Pilea aphid, new to North America

Author
item HALBERT, S. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services
item ALLEN, JADE - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services
item MOORE, M. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services
item FAIRBANKS, KATHERINE - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services
item SANO, M. - Hokkaido University
item Miller, Gary

Submitted to: Insecta Mundi
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/23/2023
Publication Date: 3/3/2023
Citation: Halbert, S.E., Allen, J.S., Moore, M., Fairbanks, K.E., Sano, M., Miller, G.L. 2023. Myzus fataunae Shinji, Pilea aphid, new to North America. Insecta Mundi. 0976:1-10. https://centerforsystematicentomology.org/insectamundi/0976_Halbert_etal_2023.pdf.

Interpretive Summary: Aphids cause billions of dollars in annual crop damage worldwide. By direct feeding or through transmission of plant pathogens, aphids represent a serious threat to agricultural crops. This treat is amplified when invasive aphid species are detected or become established. Often with few natural enemies in their new setting, these invaders can establish and have a negative impact on an ecosystem. This paper identifies a species of aphid newly recorded and in North America. The aphid, Myzus fataunae Shinji, was found colonizing the semi-aquatic plant, Pilea spp. This paper will be useful for identification by ecologists, entomologists, and state and federal regulatory officials.

Technical Abstract: Minute aphids belonging to the species Myzus fataunae Shinji were found at a nursery in Seminole County, Florida. Morphological and molecular data support this determination. The Florida population only colonized species of Pilea in our host range experiments. It did not colonize Fatoua villosa. Likewise, it did not colonize tested common Florida species of Urticaceae other than Pilea spp.