Species Ceroplastes ceriferus (Fabricius, 1798)

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Species Ceroplastes ceriferus (Fabricius, 1798)

Indian Wax Scale, Indian White Wax Scale

Coccus ceriferus Fabricius, J.C. 1798. Supplementum Entomologiae Systematicae. Hafniae : Proft et Storch ii 573 pp. [546].
Coccus (Ceroplastes) chilensis Gray, E.J. 1828. Spicilegia Zoologica; or original figures and short systematic descriptions of new and unfigured animals. London : Treuttel, Wurtz & Co. Part 1 8 pp., pls. I-VI. [7].
Ceroplastes australiae Walker, F. 1852. List of the specimens of homopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum, Part IV. London : British Museum (Natural History) 1188 pp. [1087].
Lacca alba Signoret, V. 1869. Essai sur les cochenilles ou gallinsectes (Homoptères – Coccides), 2e partie. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 4 8: 829-876 [848] [nom. nud., see Ben-Dov, Y. & Russo, A. 1993. Giovanni De Lotto (1912–1990). Bollettino del Laboratorio di Entomologia Agraria 'Filippo Silvestri', Portici 48: 245–251 (xxiii)].
Secondary source:
Ben-Dov, Y. & Russo, A. 1993. Giovanni De Lotto (1912–1990). Bollettino del Laboratorio di Entomologia Agraria 'Filippo Silvestri', Portici 48: 245-251.
Ceroplastes vayssierei Mahdihassan, S. 1933. Cryptogamie – sur les differents symbiotes des cochenilles productrices ou non productrices de cire. Comptes Rendus (Hebdomadaires) des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences. Série D. Sciences Naturelles 196: 560-562 [561] [unnecessary replacement name].
Ceroplastes cerifera Gill, R.J. 1988. The Scale Insects of California: The Soft Scales (Homoptera : Coccoidea : Coccidae). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture Part 1 132 pp. [18] [unjustified emendation].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Green, E.E. 1899. Description of a new scale insect of the genus Walkeriana. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 3: 45-47 [191] (synonymy of Coccus (Ceroplastes) chilensis Gray, 1828; synonymy of Ceroplastes australiae Walker, 1852)

Ecological Descriptors

Sap-feeder.

ID Keys

(Mori, N., Pellizzari, G. & Tosi, L., 2001) [42] (female; Italy); (Hodgson, C.J. & Henderson, R.C., 2000) [185] (female; New Zealand); (Kosztarab, M., 1996) [325] (female; northeastern North America); (Kosztarab, M., 1996) [325] (female; northeastern North America); (Tang, F.T., 1991) [297] (female; China); (Williams, D.J. & Watson, G.W., 1990) [65] (female; tropical South Pacific); (Hamon, A.B. & Williams, M.L., 1984) [18] (female; USA, Florida); (Kawai, S., 1980) [166] (female; Japan); (Gimpel, W.F., Miller, D.R. & Davidson, J.A., 1974) [19] (female; USA); (Gimpel, W.F., Miller, D.R. & Davidson, J.A., 1974) [71] (male; USA); (Williams, M.L. & Kosztarab, M., 1972) [36] (female; USA, Virginia); (Borchsenius, N.S., 1957) [451] (female; Palaearctic Region); (Green, E.E., 1909) [270-271] (female; Ceylon); (Cockerell, T.D.A., 1895) [8] (female; India)

GENERAL

Description and illustration of adult female by De Lotto, G. 1971. On some genera and species of wax scales (Homoptera: Coccidae). Journal of Natural History 5: 133–153, Williams, M.L. & Kosztarab, M. 1972. Morphology and systematics of the Coccidae of Virginia with notes on their biology (Homoptera: Coccoidea). Research Division Bulletin Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 74: 1–215, Gimpel, W.F., Miller, D.R. & Davidson, J.A. 1974. A systematic revision of the wax scales, genus Ceroplastes, in the United States (Homoptera; Coccoidea; Coccidae). University of Maryland, Agricultural Experiment Station, Miscellaneous Publication 841: 1–85, Hamon, A.B. & Williams, M.L. 1984. The soft scale insects of Florida (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae). In, Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas. Gainesville : Fla. Dept. of Agric. & Consumer Serv. Div. Plant Ind. 194 pp., Williams, D.J. & Watson, G.W. 1990. The Scale Insects of the Tropical South Pacific Region. Pt. 3: The soft scales (Coccidae) and other families. London : CAB International Institute of Entomology 267 pp., Tang, F.T. 1991. [The Coccidae of China]. Taiyuan, P. R. China : Shanxi United Universities Press, Kosztarab, M. 1996. Scale insects of Northeastern North America. Identification, biology, and distribution. Martinsburg, Virginia : Virginia Museum of Natural History 650 pp., Hodgson, C.J. & Henderson, R.C. 2000. Coccidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccoidea). Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand : Manaaki Whenua Press 259 pp.. Description and illustration of adult male by Gimpel, W.F., Miller, D.R. & Davidson, J.A. 1974. A systematic revision of the wax scales, genus Ceroplastes, in the United States (Homoptera; Coccoidea; Coccidae). University of Maryland, Agricultural Experiment Station, Miscellaneous Publication 841: 1–85.

BIOLOGY

Ohgushi, R. & Nishino, T. 1975. Comparative studies on the population dynamics of wax scales belonging to the genus Ceroplastes. 1. Survivorship curves and life tables. Annual Report, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Science, University of Kanazawa, Japan 7–8: 1–21 studied the life tables in Japan. A parthenogenetic species in USA, Virginia; develops one annual generation in USA, Maryland and Virginia; overwinters as an adult female, see Kosztarab, M. 1996. Scale insects of Northeastern North America. Identification, biology, and distribution. Martinsburg, Virginia : Virginia Museum of Natural History 650 pp..

SYSTEMATICS

The authorship of this species was erroneously credited to Anderson, J. 1790. A letter from Doctor Anderson to Sir William Jones. Asiatic Researches. Calcutta 2: 359 for almost 200 years. However, the correct name is Ceroplastes ceriferus (Fabricius, 1798). For a detailed discussion on this topic see De Lotto, G. 1971. On some genera and species of wax scales (Homoptera: Coccidae). Journal of Natural History 5: 133–153 and Williams, D.J. 2002. Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) described by James Anderson M.D. of Madras. Journal of Natural History 36: 237–246.

STRUCTURE

See colour photograph in Kawai, S. 1980. Scale insects of Japan in colors. Tokyo : National Agricultural Education Association 455 pp. [figs 6.58 a, b], Hamon, A.B. & Williams, M.L. 1984. The soft scale insects of Florida (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae). In, Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas. Gainesville : Fla. Dept. of Agric. & Consumer Serv. Div. Plant Ind. 194 pp. and in Mori, N., Pellizzari, G. & Tosi, L. 2001. [First record of the wax scale Ceroplastes ceriferus (Fabricius) (Hemiptera, Coccoidea) in Italy.] Gia acclimatato in Italia il coccide Ceroplastes ceriferus (Fabricius) (Hemiptera, Coccoidea). Informatore Fitopatologia 10: 41–43.

ECONOMIC AND CONTROL

A pest of economic importance to many ornamentals in U.S.A. (see Gimpel, W.F., Miller, D.R. & Davidson, J.A. 1974. A systematic revision of the wax scales, genus Ceroplastes, in the United States (Homoptera; Coccoidea; Coccidae). University of Maryland, Agricultural Experiment Station, Miscellaneous Publication 841: 1–85; Kosztarab, M. 1996. Scale insects of Northeastern North America. Identification, biology, and distribution. Martinsburg, Virginia : Virginia Museum of Natural History 650 pp.).