phylloxera UK /fɪˈlɒksəɹə/US /fɪˈlɑːk.sɚ/ noun1 •An insect, Daktulosphaira vitifoliae of the family Phylloxeridae (not the genus Phylloxera), that is very destructive to grape vines; also, the diseased condition of a vine caused by this insect.thirty-five years later the coming of phylloxera to France launched the Algerian wine industry, and by the mid-twentieth century it had grown to be one of the Mediterranean's biggest producers. — 1977 formsphylloxerae · phylloxeras