Author:
Jan Scholten
Book:
Qjurious
Type:
info
Chapter:
4-464.30.00
Aphidoidea
English: Greenfly; Blackfly.
Zoology
A typical life cycle involves flightless females giving living birth to female nymphs—who may also be already pregnant, an adaptation scientists call telescopic development—without the involvement of males. Maturing rapidly, females breed profusely so that the number of these insects multiplies quickly. Winged females may develop later in the season, allowing the insects to colonize new plants. In temperate regions, a phase of sexual reproduction occurs in the autumn, with the insects often overwintering as eggs.