Stats

Lifespan: A few weeks
Size: Tiny
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

Aphids are tiny soft-bodied insects that pierce plant stems and leaves to drain sugar-rich phloem sap, often clustering in dense colonies on new growth. A single female can produce dozens of live nymphs per day without mating, allowing populations to explode within weeks.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Aphididae