Aspidophorodon Verma 1967

Aspidophorodon Verma, 1967

Aspidophorodon Verma, 1967: 507. Type species: Aspidophorodon harvensis Verma, 1967; by monotypy. Aspidophorodon Verma: Miyazaki, 1971: 183; Eastop & Hille Ris Lambers. 1976: 95; Blackman & Eastop, 1994: 569; Remaudière & Remaudière, 1997: 73; Zhang et al., 1999: 349; Blackman & Eastop, 2006: 1098; Stekolshchikov & Novgorodova, 2010: 44; Nieto Nafría et al., 2011: 145.

Diagnosis. Body elliptical, dorsum corrugated, reticulate, or with different shaped markings in apterae. Abdominal tergites in alatae with segmental marginal sclerites and spino-pleural sclerotic bands, sometimes with a large sclerotic patch extending on several segments. In apterae, both spinal and marginal processes on body present or absent, or marginal processes absent while spinal ones present at least on abdominal tergite VIII, or spinal processes absent while marginal ones present on thoracic notum and abdominal tergites. In alatae, dorsal processes on body absent, or single spinal process present on abdominal tergite VIII, and sometimes marginal processes present on tergites I–IV as well. Dorsal setae of body sparse, short, blunt, capitate, or pointed. Median frontal tubercle distinctly protuberant, especially in apterae, hemispherical or rectangular, sometimes with a depression at the middle. Antennal tubercles in apterae protuberant or developed in the form of cylindrical, finger-like, or long horn-shaped projections. Antennae in apterae 5- or 6-segmented, rarely 4-segmented, in alatae 5- or 6-segmented. Ant.I usually slightly or distinctly projected at inner apex. Secondary rhinaria absent in apterae, small round or oval in alatae. URS wedge-shaped. First tarsal segment with 2–3 setae in all legs. SIPH long cylindrical, broad at base, thin at middle, slight swollen at distal, obliquely truncated at tip, without flange, siphuncular pore small. Cauda tongue-shaped, slightly constricted near the middle, sometimes with a constriction at base, or elongate triangular, with 3–10 setae. Wings with normal venation.

Distribution. Canada, China, India, Japan, the Altai Republic, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

Host plants. Polygonaceae (Polygonum), Rosaceae (Cotoneaster, Potentilla, Sorbus, Spiraea), and Salicaceae (Salix).

Comments. Genus Aspidophorodon includes two subgenera: Aspidophorodon Verma, 1967 mostly feeding on Salix (Salicaceae) and Eoessigia David, Rajasingh & Narayanan, 1972 mainly infesting Rosaceae. Species of Aspidophorodon are distributed in Asia and North America. The life cycles of most species are unknown.