Diuraphis Aizenberg (Hom., Aphididae): key to apterous viviparous females, and review of Russian language literature on the natural history of Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov, 1913)

Abstract

This paper compiles and summarizes a great deal of extremely pertinent Russian language literature (most of which has remained little known and inaccessible to western scientists) covering virtually all of the basic early reports of the Russian wheat aphid, Diuruphis noxia (Kurdjumov, 1913), and traces the evolution of this insect into one of the world's most damaging pests of small grains. A longstanding error in the authorship of D. noxia is corrected. An original taxonomic key to the apterous vivipara of species of Diuraphis is proposed. Various old-world parasitoid, predator, and native host plant associations with Diuraphis species are described from the literature, and a number of potentially useful aphidophagous insects are identified and collection sites recommended.

Distribution, parasitoids and cyclic appearance of Russian wheat aphid Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko, 1913) (Hemiptera, Aphididae) in Algeria

“…It was found at several localities in all cereal crops. It is considered to be the most important parasitoid of the Russian aphid in central Asia, east and western Europe, the Mediterranean region and Northern and Southern Africa (Kovalev et al 1991;Bernal and Gonzalez 1997). Even in Iran, Rakhshani et al (2008) indicates that the parasitoid D. rapae is mostly associated with D. noxia.…”

Barley tolerance of Russian wheat aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) biotype 2 herbivory involves expression of defense response and developmental genes

“…The Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov), is a devastating global pest of bread wheat, Triticum aestivum L., durum wheat, T. turgidum L. and barley, Hordeum vulgare L. [1][2][3] The cumulative losses to all US small grain production due to D. noxia control, grain losses and lost community economic activity from 1986 to 1993 were valued at~$1 billion. 4 For US barley, D. noxia infestation of 0.7 million ha in 1992 caused losses of~$18.5 million.…”

Slaves of the environment: the movement of herbivorous insects in relation to their ecology and genotype

“…Some examples of this include (i) the comma butter£y, Polygonia c-album in Britain, which seems to have changed from predominantly colonizing commercial hops (Humulus lupulus) up to 1914 to mainly the stinging nettle (Urticae dioica) today after passing through a population bottleneck (Pratt 1987;Thomas & Lewington 1991); (ii) the expansion of the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia from its central Asian source in the 1800s where it had a limited host range to economically important cereal hosts both in Eurasia (Kovalev et al 1991) and more recently, North America among other continents (Araya et al 1987); (iii) the expansion of the Colorado beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, from its original refugia in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where it fed on bu¡alo bur (Solanum rostratum) prior to its colonization of cultivated potatoes in North America and later Europe (Jacobson & Hsiao 1983); and (iv) the host range expansion of angiospermfeeding moths introduced into Britain (Fraser & Lawton 1994).…”