Pseudococcus pithecellobii Gimpel & Miller

Family

Pseudococcidae

Common name

Ebony mealybug

Field characters

On foliage of host.

Validation characters

Translucent pores present on hind tibia only; few oral-rim tubular ducts on dorsum; oral rim usually present near frontal cerarius, absent between cerarius 15 and 16; without mediolateral line of oral rims on dorsum of abdomen; usually 1or 2 discoidal pores near eye; oral-collar tubular ducts present laterad of anterior spiracle; auxiliary setae present; 17 pairs of cerarii.

Comparison

Pseudococcus pithecellobii is similar to P. neomaritimus by having translucent pores restricted to hind tibia; discoidal pores associated with eye; and 17 pairs of cerarii. Pseudococcus pithecellobii can be distinguished (characters in parentheses are for P. neomaritimus) by having oral-collar tubular ducts laterad of anterior spiracle (absent); less than oral-rim tubular ducts on dorsum of abdomen (20); without mediolateral line of oral rims on abdomen (with mediolateral line); 1 or 2 discoidal pores associated with eye (2-6).

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted at U. S. ports-of-entry 7 times between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Mexico and Puerto Rico. We also have examined specimens taken in quarantine from Brazil (Annona), Costa Rica (Anthurium), Mexico (Leucena, Litchi); Puerto Rico (Melicoccus). ScaleNet lists Pithecellobium as the only host (Fabaceae - legume family). Besides the latter family, it is also commonly intercepted on lichee (Sapindaceae-Soapberry family). ScaleNet distribution records for P. pithecellobii include only Mexico. ScaleNet distribution records for P. philippinicus include China and The Philippines only. Several species of Pseudococcus other than P. aurantiacus Williams, P. baliteus Lit, P. calceolariae (Maskell), P. comstocki (Kuwana), P. cryptus Hempel , P. dendrobiorum, 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

GimpelMi1996

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