Allium-pest
Guides
Neotoxoptera
Neotoxoptera is a genus of aphids in the family Aphididae, comprising at least seven described species. The genus is best known for N. formosana, the onion aphid, a significant agricultural pest of Allium crops. Species in this genus are oligophagous, specializing on plants in the Allium genus, and are distributed across Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, and Africa.
Neotoxoptera formosana
Onion Aphid
Neotoxoptera formosana is an oligophagous aphid pest specialized on Allium crops, originally described from Taiwan in 1921 and now distributed globally. It causes severe economic losses to Allium agriculture, particularly Allium tuberosum in China, through direct feeding damage and as a vector for plant viruses including garlic latent potyvirus and alstroemeria mosaic potyvirus. The species exhibits temperature-sensitive population dynamics with optimal reproduction at 20°C, and employs specific olfactory cues—particularly sulfur compounds like diallyl disulphide and dipropyl trisulphide—to locate host plants.