The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) genome encodes two divergent early developmental programs

► We examine early development in viviparous (asexual) and oviparous (sexual) embryos of the pea aphid. ► Genes involved in axis formation are expressed differently between sexual and asexual embryos. ► These data imply that the pea aphid genome encodes two different developmental pathways. ► The patterns of evolutionary change mirrors comparisons of developmental programs between species.