IMPACT OF ECOLOGICAL ZONES ON MORPHOLOGY OF PTEROCHLOROIDES PERSICAE CHOLODKOVSKY (HEMIPTERA, APHIDIDAE)

Morphometric studies are often carried out on different aphid taxa in order to analyze population variation in relation with different factors, such as host plant, temperature and geography, which have a significant effect on aphid morphology. The brown peach aphid Pterochloroides persicae Cholodkovsky (Hemiptera, Aphididae), is a widespread pest on cultivated prunuceous trees throughout the world.  In the present study, 15 morphological characters in six populations of P. persicae from Tunisia, Spain, Serbia, Iran and Italy were investigated and morphometric data were assessed through a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% significance level. The results showed significant morphological differences among the populations of P. persicae in body length, hind femur length, hind tibia length, all antennal segment length, cauda and siphunculi length. It could be concluded that geographic sites and climatic conditions are among the most important factors which contribute to the differentiation between populations. Other complementary studies, such as impact of host plant on morphology of P. persicae , host adaptation and performance with regard to environmental conditions will provide a better understanding of the evolutionary implications of the population’s structure.