Leafcurl Plum Aphid

The viviparous wingless females have an oval or pear-shaped body and grow to a length of up to 2 mm (0.08 in). Early in the season they are brownish but later they are yellowish-green. The antennae are pale green and short, about half the length of the body. There is no dark, shining patch on the dorsal surface of the abdomen, a fact which distinguishes it from the otherwise similar thistle aphid (Brachycaudus cardui). The cauda (tail-like elongation) is bluntly rounded, the legs are pale except for the extremities, and the cornicles are pale-coloured, short and flanged. Winged females range from 1.3 to 1.8 mm (0.05 to 0.07 in) in length and have a blackish head with longer antennae, blackish thorax and a green abdomen with dark spots on the third to sixth segments. The overwintering eggs are black.