Aphis stachydis Mordvilko 1928

Aphis stachydis Mordvilko, 1928 Material. MSB: 22.ix.2023, Stachys byzantina K.Koch, on root collar and petioles of basal leaves, apt. and al. Comments. Aphids of this species live in rolled leaves or on flower-stems and flowers of Stachys spp., however, Holman (1961) found these aphids on the roots of S. cretica in Crimea. Aphids from Crimea had short siphunculi compared to the cauda and 5-segmented antennae. Holman (1961) suggested that these were midsummer dwarfs of A. stachydis. Aphids of this species in Dagestan were also found at the base of a plant (Stachys byzantina K.Koch) and have short siphunculi and are probably also midsummer dwarfs of A. stachydis. However, further research into the life cycle and food specialization of this species is necessary to establish if the aphids living on the root parts of Stachys are A. stachydis or a new species for science.