Cornicle

Cornicles are tubes that project from the abdomen of an aphid. There are usualy a single pair of cornicles with one on each side of the abdomen. The cornicles are used to emit pheromones or defensive secretions.

It is often incorrectly believed that honeydew is secreted from the cornicles. Honeydew is actually excreted by the aphid from the rectum.

A photograph of an aphid with a defensive secretion exuding from its cornicles.
Photograph by Sanjay Acharya licensed under Creative Commons.

Other names for (or types of) Cornicle include:

• Siphuncle

Related terms

• Aphid
• Sternorrhyncha

Related groups of terms

• Invertebrate body structure

Related pages on this web site

• Homoptera - no longer a suborder of the Hemiptera
• Sternorrhyncha
• True bugs - Order Hemiptera

See other words beginning with C