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 →
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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 London on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 971st most-seen of the 1504 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Woolly Apple Aphid in London on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Woolly Apple Aphid sightings, London ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Woolly Apple Aphid is recorded against all the insects logged in London (12 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.
