Dysmicoccus wistariae (Green)

Family

Pseudococcidae

Common name

Taxus mealybug

Field characters

Body oval; reddish brown; body covered by layer of white mealy wax except for 4 longitudinal bare areas on dorsum; apparently not forming ovisac; with 17 pairs of lateral filaments, becoming progressively longer posteriorly, caudal pair about half as long as length of body. Occurring on needles, branches, and bark of host.

Validation characters

Translucent pores present on hind coxa, femur, and tibia; multilocular pores restricted to venter of segments V or VI and VII and VIII; eye without associated discoidal pore; anal bar present on anal lobe; 17 pairs of cerarii; abdominal cerarii often with 3 or more conical setae.

Comparison

Dysmicoccus wistariae is an unusual species of Dysmicoccus by having an anal bar on the anal lobe, no discoidal pores near the eye, and translucent pores on the hind coxa, femur, and tibia.

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted at U. S. ports-of-entry 7 times between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from China, Mexico, The Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. No older quarantine specimens were examined. ScaleNet lists hosts in 9 plant families. Though about half of ScaleNet records are for Rosaceae, this species is most commonly intercepted on mangosteen (Garcinia, Clusiaceae). ScaleNet distribution records for D. wistariae include countries in the Nearctic and the Palaearctic zoogeographic regions, and Kiribati (Gilbert Islands) in the Australasian region. Several species of Dysmicoccus other than D. boninsis (Kuwana), D. brevipes (Cockerell), D. grassii (Leonardi), D. lepelleyi (Betrem), D.mackenziei Beardsley, D. neobrevipes Beardsley, D. orchidum Williams, D. sylvarum Williams & Granara de Willink, D. wistariae and Dysmicoccus sp. nr. texensis have been taken in quarantine including: D. amnicola Williams & Watson (The Philippines, on Pandanus); D. finitimus Williams (Taiwan, on Cocos); D. hambletoni Williams and Granara de Willink (Ecuador, on Xanthosoma); D. hypogaeus Williams (Australia, on Chamelaucium and Leucospermum); D. joannesiae Costa Lima (Ecuador, on Inga); D. lansii Williams (The Philippines, on Lansium); D. probrevipes (Morrison)(Central and South America, on Coffea, Cordia, and Triplaris); D. queenslandianus Williams (Australia, on Allocasuarina); and D. viatorius Williams (The Philippines, on Lansium, Nephelium).

Important references

Danzig1980b; Ferris1950b; Koszta1996

Scalenet catalog and citation list

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