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Photo#1128735
Non-oleander aphid aphid, on milkweed - Myzocallis asclepiadis

Non-oleander aphid aphid, on milkweed - Myzocallis asclepiadis
Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA
August 25, 2015
Size: 1-2mm
Aphid on common milkweed. I expected to see oleander aphids on these leaves. And I did, but there were also these, which I have never seen on milkweed or any other plant. They move quite rapidly. They are clearly aphids, because they have very short, upwardly directed cornicles. The photos are low quality, but the markings are quite distinctive. I tried to google an answer, but of course everything you get for aphid milkweed" is about the ubiquitous oleander aphid.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

According to this article
According to this article McMartin, K. A. and S. B. Malcolm. 2008. Defense expression in the aphid Myzocallis asclepiadis A, asclepiadis "changes color over the course of the season, from a pale green-yellow to having orange spots, and in some cases being entirely orange." (No mention of dark spots).
This site Les Hemipteres de Quebec has pictures of A, asclepiadis that look like this aphid.
I checked my files and found a few milkweed aphids that also look like this, not like the ones I submitted years ago. There is even one that has faint spots of both kinds. I will be posting them soon despite the low quality.
And then, what about these also found on common milkweed?

I suspect that all of them are the same species. Now we would have to figure out these variations.
I just added
Charlie, is it safe to move them all to A. asclepiadis?

 
Thanks for Posting
I couldn't figure out what these aphids were. I just posted a few shots of a syrphid larvae preying on these. Their speed was no match for it!
Godzilla Syrphid

 
Probably a good idea
to move them all to A. asclepiadis until an aphid specialist tells us otherwise.

 
Final input
Beatriz, Charley - Stephen Malcolm, author of the Myzocallis paper cited in this thread, confirms that Myzocallis asclepiadis is the species we're discussing.

Interesting that another thread from 2012 was of the same aphid, my photo, and I had completely forgotten it.

 
Good!
Now, we have to figure out the true identity of my aphids of a few years ago, especially the winged adults. It is hard to believe that they could be the same species.
I found a couple more images of the ones with orange spots just like yours in my files.

 
Additional photo
I've made a clearer image of the aphids posted originally:

I've also contacted the author of the article cited by Beatriz, will update.

Milkweed aphids
There's also this species

but that doesn't seem to be what you found either!

 
Milkweed aphid
You are right, it is not a match. But the cornicles, shape, and antennae are similar.

This image: http://www.americaninsects.net/s/nt/myzocallis-punctata.jpg

is closer, another species of the genus you display here (Myzocallis). But that one is from oak, a very different host from milkweed. So perhaps there is yet another Myzocallis?

 
Web-links
David, here is a link to your comparison image:Myzocallis punctata
FYI - You can copy that link into your text or put it into any comment, if you need to. (or even your Bio page)
More information about the BBCodes can be found in the "Help" section and a handy link is always provided for us, underneath the Comment: box.
Please let me know if you need any more info. Thanks

 
Thanks
Helpful.