Rhopalosiphum maidis

Definition

A cosmopolitan aphid species (Aphididae: Hemiptera) and major agricultural pest of maize and other cultivated and wild monocots. The species is holocyclic in temperate regions and anholocyclic in the tropics, with populations reaching damaging densities particularly in warm, humid conditions. In addition to direct feeding damage on phloem, R. maidis vectors multiple economically significant plant viruses including barley yellow dwarf virus and maize dwarf mosaic virus.

Etymology

From Greek rhopalon (club, cudgel) + siphon (tube), referring to the siphunculi; maidis from Latin maidis (of maize), the primary host.

Example

In the southern United States, R. maidis populations often explode during late summer, coating the whorls of pre-tasseling corn and producing honeydew that promotes sooty mold growth while simultaneously transmitting maize dwarf mosaic virus.

Synonyms

• Corn leaf aphid
• corn aphid

Related Terms

• Aphididae
• siphunculus
• holocyclic
• anholocyclic
• barley yellow dwarf virus
• maize dwarf mosaic virus
• Rhopalosiphum padi
• Myzus persicae

Usage Notes

Distinguished from the bird cherry–oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) by its preference for maize and other monocots over winter cereals; R. padi is the more significant vector of barley yellow dwarf virus in small grains. The specific epithet is often misspelled 'maidis' in older literature; the correct form follows Fitch's 1856 original description.