Siphunculi tapering to apex or slightly swollen in a distal portion. Dorsum of metathorax to abdominal segment 6 with a discal plate (apterae). Mesosternal mammariform processes pale, flat and with spinules (apterae). Abdominal marginal tubercles usually present. Tarsal formula 3.3.3. (sometimes one tarsus with 4 setae)

from 5 specimens (Figs 1A–E). Unknown colour in life, possibly shiny black with antennae, legs and siphunculi pale brown. In mounted specimens, antennae, mesosternal mammariform processes, legs, siphunculi, abdominal segment 8 sclerotized band, cauda and genital and anal plates are yellowish brown, with very proximal and distal portions of siphunculi, antennal segment VI and very apical portion of antennal segment V somewhat darker than aforementioned structures, all in contrast with head and dorsum of thorax and most part of abdomen, which are very dark brown. Frons undulated. Head with rugosity lines and spinules (both more abundant on dorsum). Antennal cuticle imbricated. Setae on body dorsum, antennae, and most of those on legs thick, with apices blunt or slightly capitate. Mesosternal mammariform processes pale, flat and with spinules. A discal plate present (from metathorax to abdominal segment 6); prothorax, mesothorax and abdominal segment 7 with wide transverse bands, which are darker than the discal plate, abdominal segment 8 with a band paler than the others. Marginal tubercles usually present on both sides of prothorax and several abdominal segments; they are small, but the abdominal ones are relatively tall. Siphunculi tapering to apex or slightly swollen in the distal quarter, spinulose imbrication, distinct preapical incision and flange. Cauda broadly triangular. Metric and meristic features in Table 1.

Holotype: apterous viviparous female, collected on Prunus prostrata Labill. (Rosaceae), Jabal el Barouk (Lebanon), 2-V-1973, Hille Ris Lambers leg.; paratypes: four apterous females collected at the same time as the holotype.

The specific name of the new species is an adjective that means inhabitant of Lebanon, in feminine.

D. Hille Ris Lambers thought that these Lebanese specimens were conspecific with others found on Prunus in Iran, which were being studied by him and G. Remaudière, and that they all belonged to an undescribed species, which was named in draft “nitens” (Remaudière's epistolary archive). Certainly these Lebanese aphids do not belong to any previously described species, but they are also not conspecific with the Iranian ones, which we believe to be Aphidura bozhkoae (see next section).

Aphidura libanensis sp. n. resembles Iranian specimens of Aphidura bozhkoae and the East Asian species Aphidura mordvilkoi in the shape of the siphunculi and the extensive and solid discal plate, but there is an important difference in the number of first tarsal setae: four setae on each first tarsal segment in Aphidura bozhkoae and Aphidura mordvilkoi, and three in Aphidura libanensis. Aphidura libanensis and Aphidura mordvilkoi can also be distinguished from one another by the number of accessory setae on the ultimate rostral segment (6–9 in Aphidura libanensis, 2–4 in Aphidura mordvilkoi) and the relative length of the processus terminalis (3.6–4.9 times base of antennal segment VI in Aphidura libanensis, 2.2–2.7 times in Aphidura mordvilkoi). Aphidura libanensis and Aphidura bozhkoae are very similar in absolute and relative lengths of most body parts, the setae of Aphidura libanensis (Table 1) are all generally longer than those of Aphidura bozhkoae (Table 2).

Siphunculi slightly swollen. Dorsum of thorax and abdomen with setiferous sclerites (apterae). Mesosternal mammariform processes pale, flat and smooth (apterae). Abdominal marginal tubercles absent. Tarsal formula 3.3.3

from 3 specimens (Fig. 2). Shiny dark green in life. In mounted specimens, head, antennae, legs, siphunculi, cauda, genital and anal plates, and thoracic and abdominal sclerites yellowish brown, with apex of antennal segments III, IV and V, antennal segment VI, very apex of tibiae, tarsi and apex of siphunculi something darker than aforementioned structures. Frons undulated. Head mostly smooth, some rugosity lines are present on dorsum. Proximal section of antennal segment III and segments IV-VI imbricated. Setae on body dorsum, antennae and most of those on legs thick with apices blunt or slightly capitate. Mesosternal mammariform processes pale, flat and smooth. Setiferous sclerites present on dorsum of thorax and abdomen, mostly with one setae and similar in size to spiracular sclerites; marginal sclerites on abdominal segments 2-4 often coalescent; those on segment 6 forming postsiphuncular sclerites; and those on segment 7 and 8 partially coalescent; sclerites on abdominal segments 6-8 with spinules. Intersegmental sclerites small. Siphunculi slightly swollen (maximal width 1.04-1.10 times minimal width of the stem), with small scales and distinct preapical incision and flange. Cauda tongue shaped. Metric and meristic features in Table 1.

Holotype: apterous viviparous female, collected on Cerastium soleirolii Ser. ex Duby. (Caryophyllaceae), North slope of Mount Cinto, (Corsica, France), noted as more than 1100m, 08-VII-1980, J. H. Martin leg.. Paratypes: two apterous females from the same colony as the holotype.

The specific name of the new species is an adjective that means inhabitant of Corsica, in feminine.

This species was included as Aphidura sp. in the host lists and key to aphids on Cerastium by Blackman and Eastop (2006), but has not previously been formally described.

Aphidura corsicensis can be easily distinguished from other Aphidura species by the abundant dorsal setiferous sclerites, which are not present in any other species of the genus. The host plant is not normally found below 1900m (Arthur Chater, Kew Gardens, pers. comm.) but the plant hosting Aphidura corsicensis was estimated to have been collected at around 1100-1200m (Martin).