Pseudococcus baliteus Lit

Family

Pseudococcidae

Common name

Aerial root mealybug

Field characters

The original description indicates that this species has a moderately thin covering of white powdery secretion. Based on the distribution of characters on slide-mounted specimens we suspect the species produces 17 pairs of thin, straight, waxy filaments with the posterior pair longest; probably about 1/4 length of body. A ventral ovisac is likely produced. On fruit and aerial roots of host.

Validation characters

Dorsal setae long, normally as long as ventral setae; translucent pores on hind coxa, femur, and tibia; ventral oral-collar tubular ducts present in clusters between antennae and laterad of front and middle coxae; oral-rim tubular ducts usually sparse on dorsum, most abundant marginally, least abundant along midline and mediolaterally; without discoidal near eye.

Comparison

Pseudococcus baliteus is similar to P. cryptus Hempel and P. comstocki (Kuwana) by having long dorsal setae and translucent pores on the hind coxa, femur, and tibia. Pseudococcus baliteus differs from P. cryptus by having more dorsal oral-rim tubular ducts and more marginal oral-collar tubular ducts. It can be separated from P. comstocki by lacking dorsal oral-collar tubular ducts (except strictly marginal ones).

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted 368 times at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is taken at U. S. ports-of-entry primarily on tropical fruit. We also have examined quarantine specimens from Cambodia (Garcinia); Indonesia (Litchi); The Philippines (Citrus, Garcinia, Lansium); Singapore (Litchi); Thailand (Dephelium, Durio, Lansium, Litchi, Nephelium); Vietnam (Chrysophyllum, Garcinia, Nephelium, Pouteria, Syzygium). ScaleNet lists the species from 10 families of host plants, and distribution records include the Oriental region only. Pseudococcus baliteus is taken at U. S. ports-of-entry primarily on tropical fruit. Several species of Pseudococcus other than P. aurantiacus Williams, P. baliteus, P. calceolariae (Maskell), P. comstocki (Kuwana), P. cryptus Hempel , P. dendrobiorum Williams, P. elisae Borchsenius, P. jackbeardsleyi Gimpel & Miller, P. landoi (Balachowsky), P. longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), P. lycopodii Beardsley, P. maritimus (Ehrhorn), P. microcirculus McKenzie, P. nakaharai Gimpel & Miller , P. odermatti Miller & Williams, P. philippinicus Williams, P. pithecellobii Gimpel & Miller, P. soleneydos Miller & Gimpel and P. viburni (Signoret) have been taken at U. S. ports-of-entry including: P. agavis MacGregor (Mexico, on Agave); P. apodemus Williams (The Philippines, on Fortunella and Mangifera); P. apomicrocirculus Gimpel and Miller (Mexico, on orchids); P. apoplanus Williams (India, on orchids); P. chenopodii Williams (Australia, on Brunia); P. concavocerarii James (Somalia, on Euphorbia); P. donrileyi Gimpel and Miller (Mexico, on Citrus; Puerto Rico, on Melicoccus); P. eucalypticus Williams (Australia, on Eucalyptus and Chamelaucium); P. gilbertensis Beardsley (Guam, on Dracaena; The Philippines, on Citrus); P. importatus McKenzie (Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, The Philippines, South Africa, Trinidad, and Venezuela, on orchids); P. neomaritimus Beardsley (Mexico, on Citrus, Psidium, and Punica); P. neomicrocirculus Gimpel and Miller (Costa Rica, Guatemala and Venezuela, on orchids); P. orchidicola Takahashi (Kwajalein, Marshall, Samoa, and Tonga, on Alocasia, Dendrobium and Pandanus); P. peregrinabundus Borchsenius (Ecuador, on Musa); P. saccharicola Takahashi (Vietnam, on Saccharum); P. sociabilis (Brazil, on Annona, Cattleya, Carica, Hedera, Hippeastrum, Dahlia, Oncidium, Solanum and Zygopetalum); and P. solomonensis Williams (Micronesia and Palau, on Musa and Piper).

Important references

Willia2004.

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