Palmaspis inlabefacta (Russell)

Family

Asterolecaniidae

Common name

Cordoba pit scale

Field characters

Test elongate, posterior half narrow, anterior and posterior ends often truncate; convex in lateral view; body pale greenish yellow; body covered by translucent test without obvious carinae. Marginal areas with pale greenish yellow filaments. Occurring on bark and undersides of leaves.

Validation characters

Two dorsal clusters of large 8-shaped pores present on head; continuous row of small 8-shaped pores around body margin; submarginal quinquelocular pores present from anterior of antennae to midabdomen, not contiuous between antennae; multilocular pores present near vulva; discoidal pores scattered over dorsum but not forming submarginal row; ventral anal lobe unsclerotized. Other characters: Legs absent; antennae 1-segmented; without a pygidium; 8-shaped pores prevalent.

Comparison

Palmaspis inlabefacta is unique by having 2 clusters of large 8-shaped pores on the head and a continuous row of small 8-shaped pores around the body margin.

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted 251 times at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Mexico on Chamaedorea, the only known host of this species. ScaleNet lists it only for Mexico. Several species of Palmaspis other than P. inlabefacta and P. phoenicis (Ramachandra Rao) have been occasionally taken at U. S. ports-of-entry including: P. bicircularis Stumpf & Lambdin (Jamaica, on palm); P. boliviae (Russell) (Ecuador, on palm); P. difficilis (Russell) (Panama and Costa Rica, on palm); P. distincta (Russell) (Honduras, on Ceiba); P. palmae (Cockerell) (Jamaica and Puerto Rico, on palm; Panama, on Chamaedorea); P. similis (Russell) (Jamaica, on palm; Honduras, on Ceiba); P. truncata (Russell) (Costa Rica, on Attalea); P. urichi (Cockerell) (Brazil, on Guilielma).

Important references

Matile1996; Russel1941; Stumpf2000.

Scalenet catalog and citation list

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