Rocky Mountain Research Station

Title: Spruce aphid, Elatobium abietinum (Walker): Life history and damage to Engelmann spruce in the Pinaleno Mountains, Arizona

Author: Lynch, Ann M.

Date: 2009

Source: In: Sanderson, H. Reed; Koprowski, John L., editors. The last refuge of the Mt. Graham red squirrel: Ecology of endangerment. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. p. 318-338.

Description: Spruce aphid is an exotic insect recently introduced to the Pinaleno Mountains. It feeds on dormant Engelmann spruce, and possible effects include tree-growth suppression, tree mortality, and reduction in seed and cone production. Potential longer-term effects include changes in forest structure and species composition - primarily through reduction in Engelmann spruce dominance in spruce-fir and mixed-conifer forcsts. These effects would impact Mt. Graham red squirrel food resources, cache sites, and general habitat requirements.

Keywords: Engelmann spruce, spruce aphid, Mt. Graham red squirrel, Pinaleno Mountains, Arizona

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Citation

Lynch, Ann M.  2009.  Spruce aphid, Elatobium abietinum (Walker): Life history and damage to Engelmann spruce in the Pinaleno Mountains, Arizona.   In: Sanderson, H. Reed; Koprowski, John L., editors. The last refuge of the Mt. Graham red squirrel: Ecology of endangerment. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. p. 318-338..