Praelongorthezia praelonga (Douglas)

Family

Ortheziidae

Common name

Citrus orthezia

Field characters

According to Morrison (1952) "Length of adult female with secretion nearly 2 mm... ovisac variable in length, sometimes as much as 6 mm. long, more or less distinctly ribbed dorsally, body completely covered with fragile white secretion dorsally, showing a more or less distinct, but at most narrow, bare streak near each margin, separating the dorsal and marginal plates, secretion evidently arranged in the usual lateral and dorsal tufts, but invariably so confused medially... as to make its accurate description practically impossible; the 2 anterior marginal plates elongate conical, protruding directly forward, the next lateral marginal plates also elongate, protruding laterad, the remaining marginal plates more and more strongly curved backward, with the plates of the apical pairs quite long, projecting over the ovisac; the 2 anterior pairs of dorsal plates directed forward, the next nearly erect, and the remainder directed somewhat backward and overlapping; ventral surface completely covered with secretion except at the insertions of the appendages."

Validation characters

Dorsal and ventral body setae in abdominal wax plate at least as long as width of plate; 7 pairs of abdominal spiracles; 4 transverse rows of spines within ovisac band; head with narrow longitudinal sclerotization medially; wax plates on dorsum extending across dorsum with small gap between medial and marginal plates; ovisac band with pores near anterior edge of band. Other characters: Ovisac band wide; antennae usually 8-segmented.

Comparison

Praelongorthezia praelonga is similar to P. longipes (Hempel) by having similar arrangements of wax plates, wide ovisac band, 4 rows of spines encompassed by ovisac band, 7 pairs of spiracular setae. Praelongorthezia praelonga differs by having filamentous setae on dorsum of abdomen at least as long as width of dorsal wax plates (shorter in P. longipes).

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted 156 times on a variety of hosts at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Anguila, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Jamaica, Peru, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, Tortola, Trinidad and Tobago and The U. S. Virgin Islands. We also have examined specimens taken in quarantine from Aruba (unknown host); Brazil (cactus, Ficus, Morus); British West Indies (Anthurium); Colombia (Acalypha, Codiaeum); Germany (Codiaeum); Jamaica (Thunbergia); Mexico (Cattleya, Cestrum, Eugenia); Panama (Codiaeum); Puerto Rico (Codiaeum, Vitex); St. Martin (Hibiscus); Trinidad (orchid, Pentas); The U. S. Virgin Islands (Bouganvillea, Codiaeum). ScaleNet includes hosts in over 25 plant families; it is listed from the Nearctic and Neotropical zoogeographic regions; quarantine interceptions from Germany are questionable. No other species of Praelongorthezia other than P. praelonga have been intercepted at a U. S. port-of-entry.

Important references

Beingo1971; Kozar2004; Morris1925; Morris1952.

Scalenet catalog and citation list

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