The sugarcane aphid, (''Melanaphis sacchari''), is an
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 ...
in the superfamily
Aphidoidea in the order
Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from plants. It is mostly found in ''
Saccharum
''Saccharum'' is a genus of tall perennial plants of the broomsedge tribe within the grass family.
The genus is widespread across tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions in Africa, Eurasia, Australia, the Americas, and assorted oceani ...
'' and ''
Sorghum'' species. The species primarily reproduces via
parthenogenesis
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 developmen ...
, although sexual morphs have been discovered in China, Japan, and Mexico - in China the eggs
overwinter
Overwintering is the process by which some organisms pass through or wait out the winter season, or pass through that period of the year when "winter" conditions (cold or sub-zero temperatures, ice, snow, limited food supplies) make normal acti ...
in the host ''
Miscanthus sacchariflorus
''Miscanthus sacchariflorus'', the Amur silvergrass, is a grass native to temperate Northeast Asia
Northeast Asia or Northeastern Asia is a geographical subregion of Asia; its northeastern landmass and islands are bounded by the Pacific Ocea ...
''.
References
*
* http://www.tsusinvasives.org/database/sugar-aphid.html
*
*
* http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Datasheet.aspx?dsid=33256
Aphidini
Agricultural pest insects
Hemiptera of Asia
Insect pests of millets
Insects described in 1897
{{Aphididae-stub