Eucalymnatus tessellatus (Signoret)

Family

Coccidae

Common name

Tessellated scale

Field characters

Body broadly oval or pyriform, often asymmetrical; flat in lateral view; body reddish to dark brown in older females, with polygonal plates or tessellations on dorsum; median area with raised carina or ridge; without an obvious wax covering; ovisac absent. Young females similar in appearance to species of Coccus. Occurring on leaves and stems. Males apparently absent. Eggs hatch within the body of the female.

Validation characters

Dorsal surface of older adult females with polygonal pattern; tubular ducts absent. Other characters: Stigmatic setae differentiated from other marginal setae, middle seta longer than lateral setae; marginal setae slightly enlarged, weakly fimbriate; 1 pair of prevulvar setae (often obscured by anal plates); dorsal setae slightly enlarged; 8 to 15 submarginal tubercles around body margin; anal plates with posterior margin about equal in length to anterior margin; each anal plate with 3 subapical setae, 4 apical setae, without subdiscal seta; anal fold with 4 fringe setae; multilocular pores with 7 or 8 loculi, restricted to area around vulva, with few on 1 or 2 segments adjacent to vulva; 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 without denticle; claw digitules equal; antennae 7- or 8-segmented; preopercular pores absent.

Comparison

Eucalymnatus tessellatus is unique among the commonly intercepted soft scales by having a distinctive polygonal pattern on older adult females; no tubular ducts; no preopercular pores; and 1 pair of preopercular setae.

U.S. quarantine notes

This species was intercepted 77 times at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Hawaii, India, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mexico, Peru, The Philippines, Puerto Rico, Tonga, and Vietnam. We also have examined specimens taken in quarantine from Australia (Anthurium, Gardenia); Barbados (Laurus, Pimenta); Bermuda (Laurus, Nerium, Pimenta, Roystonea); Brazil (palm); Cook Island (Alyxia); Costa Rica (orchid); Cuba (Musa); Dominica (Anthurium, Cinnamomum, Corpha); England (palm); Haiti (Mangifera); Hawaii (Alyxia, Cocos, Litchi); Hong Kong (unknown host); Italy (Fatsia, Gardenia); Jamaica (Kentia); Japan (Aspidistra; Rhapis); Martinique (Mangifera); Mexico (Caryota, Cocos, Codiaeum, Chamaedorea, Gardenia); Pago Pago (Alpinia); Portugal (palm); Puerto Rico (Caryota, Psidium); Rarotonga (Alyxia); St. Lucia (Caryota); Surinam (Iriartea); Tahiti (Mangifera). ScaleNet includes hosts in over 50 plant families including a wide diversity of palms from all zoogeographic regions. There are no other species of Eucalymnatus that have been taken at U. S. ports-of-entry.

Important references

Gill1998; HamonWi1984; Hodgso1994a; RayWi1981; WilliaWa1990.

Scalenet catalog and citation list

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