The Bhutan pine aphid Pseudessigella brachychaeta Hille Ris Lambers (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Lachninae) from India reveals the hitherto unknown oviparous female and dwarfish male

Abstract

Here we describe the presence of the monotypic and poorly known aphid genus Pseudessigella Hille Ris Lambers (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Lachninae) in India. So far, the genus has only been known from Punjab, Pakistan. Representatives of P. brachychaeta Hille Ris Lambers were collected from Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jacks. in the Yousmarg region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Hitherto unknown oviparous females and dwarfish males, the latter reported in Eulachnini for the first time, are described and illustrated. The male’s antennal sensilla and genitalic morphology are additionally studied and presented using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Notes on the biology, distribution, and previously overlooked generic features are given. We provide morphological identification keys to the genera of the tribe Eulachnini and to the species of aphid living on P. wallichiana.