Species Planococcus minor (Maskell, 1897)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Dactylopius calceolariae minor Maskell, W.M. 1897. Further coccid notes: with descriptions of new species and discussions of points of interest. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 29: 293-331 [322].

  Type data:

   Lectotype NZAC 1 adult ♀, MAURITIUS.
• Planococcus pacificus Cox, J.M. 1981. Identification of Planococcus citri (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) and the description of a new species. Systematic Entomology 6: 47-53 [48].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Cox, J.M. 1989. The mealybug genus Planococcus (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 58(1): 1-78 [52]

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia

Ecological Descriptors

Sap-feeder.

ID Keys

(Lit, I.L., Caasi-Lit, M. & Calilung, V.J., 1998) [32] (female; Philippines); (Williams, D.J. & Granara de Willink, M.C., 1992) [393] (female; Central and South America); (Williams, D.J. & Watson, G.W., 1988) [163] (female; tropical South Pacific region)

BIOLOGY

Buckley, R.C. & Gullan, P.J. 1991. More aggressive ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) provide better protection for soft scales and mealybugs (Homoptera: Coccidae, Pseudococcidae). Biotropica 23(3): 282–286 showed, in Papua New Guinea, that attendance by the aggresive ant, Iridomyrmex nitidus Mayr, reduces the rate of parasitization.

STRUCTURE

Colour photograph given by Lit, I.L., Caasi-Lit, M. & Calilung, V.J. 1998. The mealybugs (Pseudococcidae, Coccoidea, Hemiptera) of eggplant (Solanum melongena Linn.) in the Philippines. Philippine Entomology 12: 29–41. Moharana, S. 1990. Cytotaxonomy of Coccids (Homoptera: Coccoidea). In, [Unknown] (ed). Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium of Scale Insect Studies, Part II. Cracow, Poland: August 6–12, 1990. Cracow : Agricultural University Press reported chromosome number 2n=10.

ECONOMIC AND CONTROL

Planococcus minor is a common species found on many economically important plants, particularly cocoa, throughout its geographical range.

GENERAL

Good description and illustration of the adult female given by Williams, D.J. & Watson, G.W. 1988. The Scale Insects of the Tropical South Pacific Region. Part 1. The armoured scales (Diaspididae). London : CAB International Institute of Entomology 290 pp., Tu, W., Wu, W. & Lee, P. 1988. Planococcini of Taiwan (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). Annual of Taiwan Museum 31: 71–101, Cox, J.M. 1989. The mealybug genus Planococcus (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology 58(1): 1–78, Williams, D.J. & Granara de Willink, M.C. 1992. Mealybugs of Central and South America. London, England : CAB International Institute of Entomology 635 pp. and by Lit, I.L., Caasi-Lit, M. & Calilung, V.J. 1998. The mealybugs (Pseudococcidae, Coccoidea, Hemiptera) of eggplant (Solanum melongena Linn.) in the Philippines. Philippine Entomology 12: 29–41. Good description of the adult female given by Tang, F.T. 1992. [The Pseudococcidae of China]. Taigu, Shanxi, China : Shanxi Agricultural University 768 pp.. Dactylopius calceolariae var. minor Maskell, has been synonymized with Pl. citri by Morrison, H. 1925. Classification of scale insects of the subfamily Ortheziinae. Journal of Agricultural Research 30: 97–154, but Cox (1989) distinguished between them and resurrected the former as a species in Planococcus.

Common Name References

Lit, I.L. & Calilung, V.J. 1994. An annotated list of mealybugs (Pseudococcidae, Coccoidea, Hemiptera) from Mount Makiling and vicinity, Laguna, Philippines. Philippine Entomologist 9: 385-398 (Cited also by and ) (Pacific Mealybug)

Naumann, I.D., Ingram, R.J. & Floyd, R. 2002. Australian Insect Common Names, based on CSIRO Handbook of Australian Insect Names. 6th edn 1993. http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/. (Passionvine Mealybug)

History of changes