RHOPALOSIPHUM DIANTHI. 17 



Cornicles brown. Wing-insertions and cubitus yellow. 

 Stigma grey. E-ostrum reaches to the second coxse. 



Very common throughout the summer up to the 

 end of October. The imago appears of various 

 colours such as green, ochreous, and even black. 



The larva may be called almost polyphagous. 

 Walker says that it feeds on at least sixty known 

 plants. Amongst those to which it is most destructive 

 are the potatoe, the sweet turnip, and the swede ; but 

 it also attacks Brassica raiKe, Dianthus caryoijliyllus, 

 Amygdalus persicce, Ilyacyntlms orientalis, Bauunculus 

 bidbosus, Ganna indica, the tulip, crocus, fuschia, 

 oleander, tobacco, mesembrianthemum, and numerous 

 other plants. It infests the peach and nectarine in 

 autumn, after Myzus persicoe, the spring species, has 

 for a time apparently left the trees. 



Confusion in the synonymy of this Aphis is very 

 great. Passerini identifies this insect with Morren's 

 Aphis of the peach, and accordingly he adopts Morren's 

 specific name Aphis persicce. 



As Schrank more than thirty years previously 

 described this same insect under the name Aphis 

 diartthtjl consider that it ought to revert to its original 

 designation. As it is neither Aphis persicce of Fons- 

 colombe, nor A. persicce of Sulzer,* nor A. persicas of 

 Kaltenbach, Boisduval proposes to call it A. persi- 

 ccecola. 



Charles Morren, at a comparatively early date, 

 illustrated the internal anatomy of this insect by many 

 descriptive plates. He notices their first (recorded ?) 

 appearance in Belgium, and states his belief that the 

 countless swarms that spread over the country during 

 the September and October months of 1834, traversed 

 the sea from the English shores. One must think 

 there is some exaggeration in the remark then made, 

 that the clouds of Aphides obscured the light of day, 



* Prof. Passerini lias lately pointed out to me that his Myzus persicce 

 is not Aphis persicr^ of Sulzer, as I have stated in vol. i, p. l78. " Hu- 

 manum est errare," at least in the matter of these synonyms. 

 VOL. II. 2 



