Ferrisia dasylirii (Cockerell)

Family

Pseudococcidae

Field characters

Body elongate oval; legs dark brown; covered by white mealy wax, with 2 submedial longitudinal bare areas on dorsum; dorsal ovisac absent; with 1 pair of conspicuous lateral wax filaments, about 1/2 as long as body.

Validation characters

Within Ferrisia-like tubular ducts, dark rim around opening of duct orifice is defined as sclerotization A, lighter area outside of A is called sclerotization B. Discoidal pores usually on outer margin of sclerotization B often protruding from margin of B; setae associated with ferrisia-like tubular ducts usually in sclerotization B, not touching A; clusters of small sized oral-collar tubular ducts present ventrally on posterior abdominal segments; usually without translucent pores on hind coxa; ventral multiloculars present on posterior 3 abdominal segments, usually less than 15 pores on segment VI, arranged in single row; antenna usually greater than 600µ long; 1 pair of cerarii.

Comparison

Ferrisia dasylirii is most similar to F. virgata by having clusters of small oral-collar tubular ducts on ventral margin of posterior abdominal segments; multilocular pores on posterior 3 abdominal segments; discoidal pores associated with most oral-collar tubular ducts. Ferrisia dasylirii can be distinguished (characters of F. virgata given in parentheses) by having discoidal pores touching margin of sclerotization B [where sclerotization B is defined as lighter sclerotized area outside of sclerotization A and sclerotization A is defined as dark rim surrounding opening of duct orifice] and discoidals often protruding from B margin (normally not touching margin of B and not protruding); ventral multilocular pores on segment VI usually number less than 15 pores, organized in single row (more than 15, often in double row); usually without translucent pores on hind coxa (usually present);and antenna usually greater than 600µ long (less than 600µ). It is difficult to distinguish these species based on morphological characters but the molecular data presented by Kaydan and Gullan (2012) clearly show that they are distinct.

U.S. quarantine notes

Ferrisia was recently revised by Kaydan & Gullan (2012) and at least some of the recent interceptions of Ferrisia species represent misidentifications. This species is included because we have examined authentically determined specimens taken in quarantine from Chile (garden plants); Colombia (Cucumis, Diffenbachia); Costa Rica (Alpinia, Codiaeum, Heliconia, orchid, Zingiber); Ecuador (Musa, unknown fruit); El Salvador (unknown leaf); Guatemala (Codiaeum, Hoya, Musa, Terminalia); Guyana (Annona); Honduras (Codiaeum); Panama (Eryngium, Musa, orchid); Venezuela (Annona, cotton). ScaleNet lists hosts in 30 plant families from countries in the Nearctic and Neotropical zoogeographical regions and from Hawaii. Several species of Ferrisia other than F. dasylirii , F. malvastra McDaniel, F. terani Williams & Granara de Willink and F. virgata (Cockerell) have been taken at U.S. ports-of-entry including F. colombiana Kaydan & Gullan (Colombia, on cut flower); F. kondoi Kaydan & Gullan (Guyana, on Syzygium; Honduras, on Codiaeum; Mexico, on Echeveria, Gardenia, Zingiber); F. meridionalis (Argentina, on grape, grapefruit; Chile, on Hypericum; Mexico, on Euphorbia; Uruguay, on Baccharis); F. pitcairnia Kaydan & Gullan (Puerto Rico, on bromeliaceae), F. uzinuri Kaydan & Gullan (Bahamas, on Codiaeum; Dominican Republic, on Citrus; Haiti, on Phaseolus); F. williamsi Kaydan & Gullan (Bolivia, on Codiaeum; Brazil, on Spondias; Guyana, on Codiaeum; Nicaragua, on orchid).

Important references

KaydanGu2012

Scalenet catalog and citation list

Click here for a Catalog.