Cornicle

Aphid excreting defensive fluid from the cornicles

The cornicle (or siphuncule) is one of a pair of small upright backward-pointing tubes found on the dorsal side of the last segment of the bodies of aphids. They are sometimes mistaken for cerci. They are no more than pores in some species.

These abdominal tubes exude droplets of a quick-hardening defensive fluid^[1] containing triacylglycerols called cornicle wax. There is some confusion in the literature about the function of the cornicle wax secretions. It was common at one time to suggest that the cornicles were the source of the honeydew, and this was even included in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary^[2] and even appears in the 2008 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia.^[3] There also is documentation in the literature for cornicle wax luring predators in some cases.^[4]

References

1. ^ Aphid, Henry G. Stroyan, McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, 8th Edition, 1997, ISBN 0-07-911504-7
2. ^ Defence by Smear: Supercooling in the Cornicle Wax of Aphids, John S. Edwards, Letters to Nature, Nature, 211, 73–74, 2 July 1966; doi:10.1038/211073a0
3. ^ Aphid, Candace Martinson, World Book Encyclopedia, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7166-0108-1
4. ^ Kairomonal effect of an aphid cornicle secretion onLysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae), Tessa R. Grasswitz and Timothy D. Paine, Journal of Insect Behavior, Springer Netherlands, ISSN 0892-7553 (Print) 1572-8889 (Online), Issue Volume 5, Number 4 / July, 1992, DOI 10.1007/BF01058190

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This insect anatomy-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Hemiptera stubs Hemiptera Insect anatomy Insect anatomy stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Ethel Dickenson Podzilla (hydraulic system) Look at other dictionaries: Cornicle — Cor ni*cle (k?r n? k l), n. [L. corniculum, dim. of cornu horn.] A little horn. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English cornicle — n. [L. dim. cornu, horn] (ARTHROPODA: Insecta) In aphids, one of a pair of movable, flap covered, pre caudal tubes projecting from the dorsum of segment 6, that expells lipid filled cells; thought to be a defense mechanism …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology cornicle — /kawr ni keuhl/, n. any of various small, horn shaped processes, esp. one of a pair of tubes at the posterior end of the abdomen of aphids, from which a waxy fluid is emitted. [1640 50; < L corniculum little horn, equiv. to corn (s. of cornu)… …   Universalium cornicle — noun A little horn …   Wiktionary cornicle — n. little horn …   English contemporary dictionary cornicle — cor·ni·cle …   English syllables cornicle — ˈkȯ(r)nə̇kəl noun ( s) Etymology: Latin corniculum, diminutive of cornu horn more at horn : a little horn or horn shaped process; specifically : either of two protruding dorsal tubes in aphids that secrete a waxy fluid and were formerly believed …   Useful english dictionary Aphid — This article is about the insect. For other uses, see Aphid (disambiguation). Aphids Temporal range: Permian–Present …   Wikipedia Aphididae — Taxobox name = Aphididae image width = 240px regnum = Animalia phylum = Arthropoda classis = Insecta ordo = Hemiptera subordo = Homoptera superfamilia = Aphidoidea familia = Aphididae subdivision ranks = Genera subdivision = Over 170, see… …   Wikipedia Cornicule — Aphide secrétant sa cire Une cornicule (ou siphuncule) est un tube que l on trouve sur le dos de certains insectes, principalement les pucerons (Aphidoidea) et plus rarement certains hyménoptères (Galodoxinae). Dirigées vers l arrière, elles… …   Wikipédia en Français 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”