Planococcus halli Ezzat and McConnell

Family

Pseudococcidae

Common name

Hall mealybug

Field characters

We expect the field appearance of this species to be the same as for P. ficus, but we have been unable to find a description in the literature.

Validation characters

Usually with less than 6 ventral oral-collar tubular ducts laterad of middle coxae (count both sides); fewer than 5 ventral oral-collar tubular ducts between antennae; without multilocular pores behind front coxa (rarely with 1); translucent pores on hind coxa and tibia, absent from femur; usually with 1 or more dorsolateral tubular ducts that often appear as oral rims; anal bar present; 18 pairs of cerarii; no auxiliary setae.

Comparison

Planococcus halli is very similar to P. minor and P. ficus, by having few ventral oral collars on the head and laterad of the middle coxae. Planococcus halli differs by lacking multilocular pores behind the anterior coxa (rarely with 1) and by lacking translucent pores on the hind femur. P. ficus usually has multilocular pores behind the front coxa and has translucent pores on the hind femur. Planococcus minor usually has multilocular pores behind the front coxa and lacks translucent pores on the hind femur. Frankly these species are difficult to distinguish, but P. ficus is frequently found on grape, P. halli is usually on sweet potatoes, and P. minor is on a diversity of hosts.

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted 332 times at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Albania, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Jamaica, Mali, Nigeria, Panama, Senegal, South Africa, and Togo. It is commonly taken on Dioscorea (yams). We also have examined quarantine specimens from Brazil (Dioscorea); Cameroon (Dioscorea); Cuba (Epipremnum); Dioscorea); Gabon (Dioscorea); Ghana (Dioscorea); Haiti (Dioscorea); Jamaica (Dioscorea,); Liberia (Dioscorea); Nigeria (Dioscorea, Manihot, Melicoccus); Panama (Dioscorea); South Africa (Dioscorea); St. Kitts (BVI)(Dioscorea); Trinidad and Tobago (Dioscorea); ScaleNet lists the species from 10 families of host plants, and distribution records include countries in the Afrotropical, Neotropical and Italy only). Several species of Planococcus other than P. citri (Risso), P. ficus (Signoret), P. halli, P. kraunhiae (Kuwana), P. lilacinus (Cockerell), P. litchi Cox and P. minor (Maskell) have been taken at U. S. ports-of-entry including: P. angkorensis (Takahashi) (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, The Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, on many tropical plants); P. dendrobi Ezzat and McConnell (India, The Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, on Cypripedium, Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, Saccolobium and Vanda); P. hosnyi Ezzat and McConnell (South Africa, on orchid); P. hospitus De Lotto (Uganda, on Cyrtorchis); P. japonicus Cox (Japan and The Philippines, on Carpinus, Fatsia, Lansium, Malus, Rhododendron and Vitis); P. kenyae (LePelley) (Nigeria, Sierra Leone, on Ficus and Cola); P. mali Ezzat and McConnell (New Zealand, on Malus and Olearia); P. orchidi Cox (Liberia, on orchids); and P. philippinensis Ezzat and McConnell (The Philippines, on Aerides, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Eria, Phalaenopsis, Spathoglottis and Vanda).

Important references

Cox1989; WilliaGr1992.

Scalenet catalog and citation list

Click here for a Catalog.