![Cinara strobi eggs closeup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Cinara_strobi_eggs_closeup.jpg)
''Cinara'', the conifer aphids or giant conifer aphids, is a genus of
aphid
Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...
s in the family
Aphididae
The Aphididae are a very large insect family in the aphid superfamily ( Aphidoidea), of the order Hemiptera. These insects suck the sap from plant leaves. Several thousand species are placed in this family, many of which are considered plant/cro ...
. They are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere.
These aphids specialize on conifers in the
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
and
cypress families.
[Jousselin, E., et al. (2013)]
Is ecological speciation a major trend in aphids? Insights from a molecular phylogeny of the conifer-feeding genus ''Cinara''.
''Frontiers in Zoology'' 10 56.
Some species are pests that attack cultivated
Christmas tree
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...
s. The parasitoid wasp species in the genus ''
Pauesia'' are specific to the genus.
''
Cinara cedri'' has been shown to host three symbionts: ''
Buchnera aphidicola
''Buchnera aphidicola'', a member of the Pseudomonadota and the only species in the genus ''Buchnera'', is the primary endosymbiont of aphids, and has been studied in the pea aphid, ''Acyrthosiphon pisum''. ''Buchnera'' is believed to have had ...
'', a secondary symbiont, and bacteria in the genus ''
Wolbachia
''Wolbachia'' is a genus of intracellular bacteria that infects mainly arthropod species, including a high proportion of insects, and also some nematodes. It is one of the most common parasitic microbes, and is possibly the most common reproduct ...
''.
There are about 243 species in this genus.
[
Species include:
* '' Cinara abietis''
* '' Cinara acutirostris''
* '' Cinara cedri''
* '' Cinara confinis''
* '' Cinara cupressi''
* '' Cinara fornacula''
* '' Cinara laricis''
* '']Cinara piceae
''Cinara'', the conifer aphids or giant conifer aphids, is a genus of aphids in the family Aphididae. They are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere.
These aphids specialize on conifers in the Pinaceae, pine and Cupressaceae, cypress families. ...
''
* '' Cinara piceicola''
* '' Cinara pini''
* '' Cinara pilicornis''
* '' Cinara strobi''
References
External links
Bugguide.net. Genus ''Cinara'' - Giant Conifer Aphids
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Lachninae
Sternorrhyncha genera
{{Aphididae-stub