Aphis odinae (mango aphid)

Aphis odinae feeds on the undersides of young leaves, shoots (less than 5 cm long) and petioles. Infested host plants appear to be evenly covered with aphids on the growing parts of the plant, with the presence of honeydew and black mould. The damage is heavier on young plants.

Its polyphagous feeding habits, the woody nature of its food plants and the presence of natural enemies contribute towards making T. odinae comparatively harmless in India, Japan and other Asian countries. However, none of its known parasites in these countries has yet been found in Burundi. On economically important plants, the aphids mainly cause reduced fruit yield and timber quality; detailed economic damage data are not currently available.

In India, Peanut green mosaic virus and Peanut stripe virus were transmitted in a non-persistent manner by T. odinae (Sailaja et al., 1986). T. odinae does not infest groundnut crops but brief visits may be sufficient for it to act as a natural vector of these potyviruses.

Heavy infestations of the aphid reduced flowering and seed production in Eupatorium odoratum, which in turn reduced the weed population. In western India, T. odinae was found in large numbers on E. odoratum (Yadav et al., 1981).