Aphis fabae

9.9

A small black insect that feeds on beans, sugar beets, and other plants

noun

Specialized

: Aphis fabae

The infestation by Aphis fabae caused severe damage to the bean crop this year.

Examples

Farmers monitor their fields regularly to detect the presence of Aphis fabae.
Biological control methods can help reduce the impact of Aphis fabae on sugar beet plantations.
The Aphis fabae is a common pest in bean crops.
Farmers often struggle with Aphis fabae infestations.
Farmers monitor their plants for signs of Aphis fabae infestations to protect their crops.
The presence of Aphis fabae can lead to reduced yields in sugar beet and bean fields.
Controlling Aphis fabae populations is crucial for maintaining healthy bean crops.

Synonyms

bean aphid

vsAphis fabae

Specialized

7.2

A small black insect that eats the sap of beans and other crops

is the scientific name used by scientists rather than the common name

blackfly

vsAphis fabae

7.4

A small dark insect that lives on plants and eats their sap

is the exact species name for this particular plant-infesting blackish aphid

Surface Forms

Aphis fabae singular

Aphis fabas plural

Morphology

Aphis + fabae

This is a scientific Latin binomial name rather than a compositional English phrase: 'Aphis' identifies the genus (aphids) but 'fabae' is a Latin specific epithet (not a normal English word) and its meaning ('of the bean') is not obvious to a B1 learner. Because the second constituent is not a transparent English lexical item and the whole form is taxonomic, the overall meaning cannot be derived without specialised biological or Latin knowledge.

Etymology

Aphis fabae comes from a simple picture: Aphis marks it as an aphid and fabae means 'of the bean', so the name shows a small dark insect living on bean plants and sucking their sap. That's why the name is used today for the common 'bean aphid' that often damages bean and beet crops.