page_title: Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale
section_title: Identification
hierarchical_section_title: Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale / Description / Identification
caption_attribution_description: English: Female vivapara
context_page_description: Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale, the rice root aphid or red rice root aphid, is a sap-sucking insect pest with a wide host range and a global distribution. As a member of the superfamily Aphidoidea, it is one of 16 species of the genus Rhopalosiphum. Adults and nymphs are soft-bodied and usually dark green with brown, red, or yellow tones. Like all aphids, reproduction is sexual and asexual, depending on the environmental conditions and host plant. Rice root aphids cause injury to external plant parts, namely the roots or stem, by feeding on plant sap and vector several important plant viruses. The hosts of this pest extend across multiple plant families with most belonging to Rosaceae, Poaceae, and Solanaceae. R. rufiabdominale is universally associated with Prunus species but also infests various field crops, greenhouse vegetables, cannabis, and other ornamental plants. While this aphid originates from east Asia, it spans nearly every continent. Dispersal is particularly widespread across the United States, India, and Australia, with crop damage documented in multiple instances, although economic losses are primarily associated with Japanese rice crops.
context_section_description: Initial detection can be difficult as root aphids preferred surroundings are in the soil or media. However, it can also infest the roots of crops grown in both hydroponic and aeroponic systems. Connecting the pest with plant symptoms is often delayed or unknown unless roots are carefully inspected, or winged adults are present above ground. In hydroponic systems, irrigation events may bring aphids to surface level for short periods making them more visible. Plant irregularities such as chlorosis and stunting can be mistaken as a nutritional imbalance and wilting as a disease. As population densities increase, winged adults can emerge from fissures in the soil upwards to the crop canopy to populate elsewhere. If sticky traps are employed, it may be the first indication of their presence. Ants have a mutualistic relationship with aphids and are attracted to the honeydew they produce; their presence is a strong indication that aphids are populating.
caption: Adult female rice root aphid
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