Cornicle

The cornicle (or siphuncule) is one of a pair of small upright backward-pointing tubes found on the dorsal side of the 5th or 6th abdominal segments of aphids.

These abdominal tubes exude droplets of a quick-hardening defensive fluid[1] containing triacylglycerols called cornicle wax.

It was common at one time to suggest that the cornicles were the source of the honeydew, and this was even included in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary[2] and the 2008 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia.

[3] There also is documentation in the literature for cornicle wax luring predators in some cases.

This article related to members of the insect family Aphididae is a stub.