Historical Overview of the Russian Wheat Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), probably is native to the area between the Caucasus Mountains and the Tian Shan (Mountains of Heaven) of Central Asia. It was first described in the early 1900s when outbreaks occurred in Moldova and Ukraine. Subsequently D. noxia fell into relative obscurity until the late 1970s and early 1980s, when it was accidentally introduced into South Africa and North America, respectively. D. noxia now occurs in all major cereal production areas of the world except Australia and still causes significant damage, especially in areas where it was recently introduced. The global range expansion of a major pest of the world's most important food crop offered opportunities for unprecedented cooperation among researchers, extension personnel, and private industry. The management strategies developed should be an excellent model for the future.