Eriosoma lanigerum
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Eriosoma lanigerum, the woolly apple aphid, woolly aphid or American blight, is an aphid in the superfamily Aphidoidea in the order Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from plants. The adults of Eriosoma lanigerum are small to medium-sized aphids, up to 2mm long, and have an elliptical shape. They have sooty-brown antennae with six segments and the colour of the tibias varies from dark brown to yellowish. When the adults are crushed they leave a blood red stain.
They are reddish brown to purple in colour; however, the colour is normally hidden by the white cotton-like secretion from the specialised glands in the aphid's abdomen, which gives it the common name of woolly apple aphid. The wax is produced after each moult; thus, newly moulted individuals lack the wax coating. The coating is thought to prevent the aphids from being contaminated by their own honeydew secretions, but it may also produce a shelter from the weather, parasites and predators. The presence of this wooly substance distinguishes E. lanigerum from any other aphid occurring on apple trees.
In many populations reproduction is wholly asexual and nymphs are produced by parthenogenesis. The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Woolly Apple Aphid sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 495th most-seen of the 689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Woolly Apple Aphid in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Woolly Apple Aphid sightings, Auckland has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come London (United Kingdom, under 5%).
Same family: Aphididae
The closest relatives of the Woolly Apple Aphid that you can see in Auckland (family Aphididae, Aphids) are Oleander Aphid (about 10%), Giant Willow Aphid (about 10%) and Hairy-Tailed Fig Aphid (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Woolly Apple Aphid is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (9 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
