adelgid

American  

[uh-del-jid] / əˈdɛl dʒɪd /

noun

1. any of various homopterous insects of the family Adelgidae, as Adelges abietis spruce gall aphid, or spruce gall adelgid and Pineus pinifoliae pine leaf aphid, that feed and form galls on conifers.

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Etymology

Origin of adelgid

From New Latin Adelgidae, equivalent to Adelg(es) a genus name (apparently from Greek ádel(os) “unseen, invisible” ( a- “not” + dêlos “visible, clear”) + New Latin -ges further origin unknown: unexplained by the name's originator) + -idae; see a- ⁶, -id ²

Example Sentences

"While it doesn't cause the adelgid population to decrease, it may be giving trees the ability to 'outgrow' the insect's impact, at least temporarily."

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

Similarly, millions of hemlock trees in the eastern United States are succumbing to the woolly hemlock adelgid, which likely arrived on Japanese ornamental plants.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2022

Forest Service biologist, was studying Asian hemlocks’ genetics to understand why they can resist the adelgid when the Eastern hemlock can’t.

From National Geographic • Jan. 30, 2018

The bags exclude other insects — and the branches within are covered with adelgid, just as on eastern hemlocks.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2017

In just seven years, the woolly adelgid has fatally damaged more than 90 percent of the park’s hemlocks.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson