A new record of Aphis punicae Parsserini, 1863 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from Korea

A pomegranate aphid, Aphis punicae Parsserini, 1863 (Hemiptera: Aphididae), was firstly collected on Punica granatum (Lythraceae) in Korea. For accurate species identification of A. punicae, we compare it with four pomegranate feeding Aphis species by using molecular and morphological characters. In the morphometric analysis, A. punicae is distinguished from Aphis gossypii, which is morphologically similar to A. punicae, by short lengths of Ant.IV, Ant.V, and URS and lower number of hairs on GP. In the sequence analysis, A. punicae reveals genetic differences ranging from 2.1% to 2.4% from A. gossypii in COI gene. In this study, we describe apterous and alate viviparous females of A. punicae and present an identification key to the genus Aphis on P. granatum.