Ceroplastes rusci (Linnaeus)

Family

Coccidae

Common name

Fig wax scale

Field characters

Similar in appearance to Ceroplastes cirripediformis and C. sinensis with body oval; convex in lateral view; body reddish brown; with a thick wax covering, grayish white in color with a tinge of red; eggs laid in chamber under body of adult; ovisac absent. Test divided into lateral plates with dry wax filaments protruding from the centers of the plates; dorsally with a single plate larger than the rest. Stigmatic wax bands directed dorsally, filamentous wax confined to stigmatic areas. On stems, leaves, branches, and fruit.

Validation characters

Stigmatic setae conical with sightly rounded apices; about 25 stigmatic setae laterad of each stigmatic furrow, of 2 intergrading sizes, arranged in 2 or 3 irregular rows; with dorsomedial clear area; tubular ducts without expanded inner filament, present in small numbers near anal plates and on head; dorsal setae cylindrical, apex slightly rounded or acute. Other characters: Marginal setae simple; 1 pair of prevulvar setae (often obscured by anal plates); multilocular pores abundant near vulva, with few on preceding abdominal segments; multilocular pores anterior of anterior spiracle, when present, predominantly with 5 loculi, about same size as pores laterad of anterior spiracle; tibio-tarsal sclerosis present; claw usually with small denticle; claw digitules equal; antennae usually 6-segmented, rarely with 7; area around anal region sclerotized, forming protuberance; anal plates rounded, without distinct angles; each anal plate with 1 subapical seta, 4 apical setae, and 1 subdiscal seta; anal fold with 6 fringe setae; preopercular pores inconspicuous, restricted to area anterior of anal plates; without submarginal tubercles.

Comparison

Ceroplastes rusci is similar to C. cirripediformis Comstock but differs by having apically acute dorsal setae (capitate in C. cirripediformis), small denticle on claw (absent from C. cirripediformis), and multilocular pores nearly restricted to area around vulva (present on anterior abdominal segments on C. cirripediformis).

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted 67 times on a variety of hosts at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Anguilla, Barbados, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordon, Lebanon, The Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Syrian Arab Republic, and Vietnam. We also have examined specimens taken in quarantine from: Argentina (Ficus); Azores (Annona, Castanea); Dominican Republic (Cocos); Ecuador (Alpinia); France (Ficus, Myrtus); Greece (Ficus, Pistacia); Guyana (Asplundia); Israel (Cyperus, Ficus, Myrtus); Italy (Ficus, Nerium, Vitis); Ivory Coast (Ficus); Jordan (Ficus); Mexico (unknown host); Morocco (Ficus); Palestine (Ficus); Portugal (Ficus, Strelitzia); Puerto Rico (Ficus, Phoenix, Terminalia); Sicily (Ficus); Spain (Ficus); St. Croix (Annona); Uruguay (Ficus); The Virgin Islands (Laurus, Pimenta); Yugoslavia (Ficus). ScaleNet includes hosts in more than 40 families. It is found in all but the Australasian zoogeographic region. One species of Ceroplastes other than C. ceriferus (Fabricius), C. cirripediformis Comstock, C. floridensis Comstock, C. japonicus Green, C. rubens Maskell, C. rusci (Linneaus), C. sinensis Del Guercio and C. stellifer (Westwood) has been intercepted at a U. S. port-of-entry, C. cistudiformis Cockerell (Mexico, on Punica).

Important references

Granar1999, Hodgso1994a

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