''Elatobium abietinum'', commonly known as the spruce aphid or green spruce aphid, is a species of aphid in the subfamily

Aphidinae Aphidinae is an aphid subfamily in the family Aphididae. Many species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the la ...

that feeds on

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

(''Picea'' spp.), and occasionally

fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

(''Abies'' spp.). It is native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe and has spread to Western Europe, North America and elsewhere.

Description

Wingless adults are some shade of green, sometimes with a slight waxy covering, and grow to a length of about . The

siphunculi The cornicle (or siphuncule) is one of a pair of small upright backward-pointing tubes found on the dorsal side of the 5th or 6th abdominal segments of aphids. They are sometimes mistaken for cerci. They are no more than pores in some species. ...

(slender tubes on the fifth abdominal segment) are cylindrical, pale and slightly S-shaped, and are much longer than the cauda (tail-like protrusion).

Distribution and host range

''Elatobium abietinum'' is native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe where its original

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

is ''

Picea abies ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, ...

''. From this range it has spread to Western Europe where plantations of ''P. abies'' have been established, and expanded its host range to include ''

Picea sitchensis ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-larg ...

'' and other ''

Picea A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

'' spp., and occasionally on fir (''

Abies Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to ...

'' spp.). It has been introduced into Iceland, New Zealand, Tasmania, Chile and other regions where ''P. abies'' is grown in plantations. In North America it has become established and further extended its host range from ''P. sitchensis'' on the

Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...

to ''

Picea engelmannii ''Picea engelmannii'', with the common names Engelmann spruce, white spruce, mountain spruce, and silver spruce, is a species of spruce native to western North America. It is mostly a high-altitude mountain tree but also appears in watered canyon ...

'' and ''

Picea pungens The blue spruce (''Picea pungens''), also commonly known as green spruce, Colorado spruce, or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree. It is native to North America, and is found in USDA growing zones 1 through 7. It is found naturally ...

'' inland. Altogether it has been recorded feeding on 14 species of ''Picea'' and on 5 species of ''Abies''.

Ecology

''Elatobium abietinum'' has an unusual

life cycle Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to: Science and academia *Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from birth to reproduction ending with the production of the offspring *Life-cycle hypothesis, ...

and feeds solely on coniferous trees. Wingless adult females often continue feeding and producing young

parthenogenetically Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development ...

throughout the winter. In spring, winged aphids are produced and fly to other trees. Young nymphs enter

diapause In animal dormancy, diapause is the delay in development in response to regular and recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions.Tauber, M.J., Tauber, C.A., Masaki, S. (1986) ''Seasonal Adaptations of Insects''. Oxford University Press It ...

during the summer, recommencing development in the autumn. In Europe, males occur and there is a sexual phase, but in the other parts of the world, only females are known. Invertebrate

predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

of this aphid in Wales include brown lacewings (Hemerobiidae),

soldier beetle The soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are relatively soft-bodied, straight-sided beetles. They are cosmopolitan in distribution. One of the first described species has a color pattern reminiscent of the red coats of early British soldiers, hence the ...

s (''

Malthodes ''Malthodes'' is a genus of soldier beetles in the family Cantharidae The soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are relatively soft-bodied, straight-sided beetles. They are cosmopolitan in distribution. One of the first described species has a color p ...

'' and ''

Rhagonycha ''Rhagonycha''von Eschscholtz JF (1830) Nova genera Coleopterorum Faunae Europaeae. ''Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou'' 2(1): 63–66. is a genus of soldier beetle belonging to the family Cantharidae. There are at ...

'', Cantharidae),

ladybirds Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles ranging in size from . They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain. Some entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as they ...

(Coccinellidae) and

hoverfly Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while ...

larvae (Syrphidae). Many small passerine birds feed on aphids, especially when they are feeding their young; they include

warbler Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous. Sylvioid warblers Th ...

sparrows Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hedge sparrow, also known as the dunnock or hed ...

, tits and

chickadee The chickadees are a group of North American birds in the tit family included in the genus ''Poecile''. Species found in North America are referred to as chickadees, while other species in the genus are called tits. They are small-sized birds ...

s, some

finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

es, and

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...

Damage

''Elatobium abietinum'' feeds by sucking sap from spruce needles, often causing defoliation of older needles and wilting of young growth. The presence of the aphids weakens the tree by decreasing growth rates and making it more susceptible to attack by other

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

such as the

spruce beetle ''Dendroctonus rufipennis'', the spruce beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Northern Manitoba, the Yukon, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Maine. They are known ...

(''Dendroctonus rufipennis''). Serious defoliation can kill the tree.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10481003 Aphidinae Hemiptera of Europe Insects described in 1849 Taxa named by Francis Walker (entomologist)