Species Eriococcus coccineus Cockerell, 1894

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Regional Maps

• Eriococcus coccineus Cockerell, T.D.A. 1894. Descriptions of new Coccidae. Entomological News 5: 203-204 [204].
• Eriococcus coccineus lutescens Cockerell, T.D.A. 1894. Descriptions of new Coccidae. Entomological News 5: 203-204 [204] [Eriococcus var. lutescens Cockerell is only a colour form and should not be considered as a subspecific or specific name, see Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L. 1992. Systematic analysis of Acanthococcus (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) in the western United States. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 118(1): 1–106].

  Secondary source:

   Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L. 1992. Systematic analysis of Acanthococcus (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) in the western United States. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 118(1): 1-106.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Ferris, G.F. 1955. Atlas of the Scale Insects of North America. v. 7. The Families Aclerdidae, Asterolecaniidae, Conchaspididae Dactylopiidae and Lacciferidae. (Part 3). Palo Alto, California : Stanford University Press Vol. 7(3) 233 pp. [116]

Ecological Descriptors

Sap-feeder.

ID Keys

(Tang, F.T. & Hao, J., 1995) [520, 655] (adult female; as Rhizococcus coccineus; Rhizococcus species); (Gill, R.J., 1993) [157] (adult female; as Acanthococcus coccineus; Acanthococcus species of California); (Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L., 1993) [7] (adult female; as Acanthococcus coccineus; Acanthococcus species in the eastern United States); (Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L., 1992) [5] (adult female; as Acanthococcus coccineus; Acanthococcus species in the western United States); (Ferris, G.F., 1955) [97] (adult female; North American species of Eriococcus)

GENERAL

Detailed description and illustration provided by Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L. 1992. Systematic analysis of Acanthococcus (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) in the western United States. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 118(1): 1–106.

BIOLOGY

This species apparently has continuous overlapping generations (see Gill, R.J. 1993. The Scale Insects of California: Part 2. The Minor Families (Homoptera : Coccoidea). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture). "Early instars remain attached to fleshy parts of cactus; adult female often migrates to spines of acactus just before oviposition. Male sacs also normally produced on cactus spines (see Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L. 1992. Systematic analysis of Acanthococcus (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) in the western United States. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 118(1): 1–106).

STRUCTURE

Adult female elongate, oval, body usually violet purple with central yellow band, but occasionally crimson red or dull yellow. Ovisac loose and white (see Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L. 1992. Systematic analysis of Acanthococcus (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) in the western United States. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 118(1): 1–106).

SYSTEMATICS

Slide-mounted adult female with: enlarged setae nearly cylindrical with truncate apices; marginal setae noticeably longer than other setae on dorsum, except for a few medial setae on thorax; 3 enlarged setae on lateral margin of each abdominal segment (see Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L. 1992. Systematic analysis of Acanthococcus (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) in the western United States. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 118(1): 1–106). Lindinger, L. 1931. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Schildläuse III. Entomologische Rundschau 48: 8–180 incorrectly treated "cactearum, mammillariae and multispinosus" as junior synonyms of Eriococcus coccineus. These species currently are placed in other families or are treated as valid species of Eriococcus.

ECONOMIC AND CONTROL

This species appears to be a native of Mexico and southern parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Eriococcus coccineus infests cacti whose transportation all over the world has spread the species, which is now cosmopolitan in nurseries and greenhouses worldwide (see Miller, D.R. & Miller, G.L. 1992. Systematic analysis of Acanthococcus (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) in the western United States. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 118(1): 1–106).

General References

Lindinger, L. 1931. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Schildläuse III. Entomologische Rundschau 48: 8-180 [114] (Dactylopius mammillariae: incorrect synonymy; Eriococcus cactearum: incorrect synonymy)

Lindinger, L. 1933. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Schildläuse (Hemipt. – Homopt., Coccid.). Entomologischer Anzeiger 13: 77-166 [114] (Rhizococcus multispinosus: incorrect synonymy discovered by : 103)

Common Name References

Gill, R.J. 1993. The Scale Insects of California: The Minor Families (Homoptera : Coccoidea). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture Part 2. (Cactus Eriococcin, Cactus Mealybug, Cactus Spine Scale, Spine Mealybug)

Steiner, M. 1987. Mealybugs and scales in greenhouses and interior plantscapes. Ohio Florists' Association Bulletin No. 694: 1-6 (Woolly Cactus Scale)

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