Species Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti, 1867)

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Species Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti, 1867)

Ecological Descriptors

Sap-feeder.

ID Keys

(Marotta, S. & Pagano, G., 1997) [114] (female; Italian mealybugs on Geranium sp.); (Kosztarab, M., 1996) [182] (female; northeastern North USA); (Lit, I.L. & Calilung, V.J., 1994) [256] (female; Philippines); (Tang, F.T., 1992) [236] (female; China); (Williams, D.J. & Granara de Willink, M.C., 1992) [426-428] (female; Central and South America); (Williams, D.J. & Watson, G.W., 1988) [173] (female; tropical South Pacific region); (Cox, J.M., 1987) [76] (female; New Zealand); (Williams, D.J., 1985) [280] (female; Australia); (Ter-Grigorian, M.A., 1973) [40] (female; Armenia); (McKenzie, H.L., 1967) [288] (female; U.S.A., California); (Beardsley, J.W., 1966) [436] (female; Federated States of Micronesia); (McKenzie, H.L., 1964) [255] (female; North America); (McKenzie, H.L., 1962) [655] (female; North America); (Williams, D.J., 1962) [39] (female; England); (Beardsley, J.W., 1960) [211] (male; Hawaii); (McKenzie, H.L., 1960) [725] (female; North America); (Ferris, G.F., 1953) [418] (female; North America); (Ferris, G.F., 1950) [173] (female; North America); (Borchsenius, N.S., 1949) [92] (female; Palaarctic Region); (Zimmerman, E.C., 1948) [176] (female; Hawaii); (Lawson, P.B., 1917) [177] (female; Kansas, U.S.A.)

ECONOMIC AND CONTROL

Widely distributed in the nature, on a large range of plants, over most territories of the tropical and subtropical Regions, and in greenhouses in temperate zones. Has been reported as a citrus pest in California, Florida (see Clausen, C.P. 1915. Mealy bugs of citrus trees. Bulletin of the California University, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station 258: 19–48; and Bartlett, B.R. 1978. Pseudococcidae. In, Clausen, C.P. (ed). Introduced Parasites and Predators of Arthropod Pests and Weeds: a World Review. Washington, D.C. : Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture 545 pp.) Israel (see Rivnay, E. 1968. Biological control of pests in Israel (a review 1905–1965). Israel Journal of Entomology 3(1): 1–156; Avidov, Z. & Harpaz, I. 1969. Plant Pests of Israel. Jerusalem : Israel Universities Press 549 pp.; and Ben-Dov, Y. 1988. A taxonomic analysis of the armored scale tribe Odonaspidini of the world (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Diaspididae). United States Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin No. 1723: 142) and South Africa. Reported as a pest of apple and pear in New Zealand (see Ward, A. 1966. Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Hawke's Bay orchards. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 9: 452–454). A frequent pest of ornamentals outdoors and in greenhouses (see Bartlett, B.R. 1978. Coccidae. In, Clausen, C.P. (ed). Introduced Parasites and Predators of Arthropod Pests and Weeds: A World Review. Washington, D.C. : Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture 545 pp.; Johnson, W.T. & Lyon, H.H. 1988. Insects that Feed on Trees and Shrubs. Ithaca, N.Y. : Comstock Pub. Associates 556 pp.; and Zahradník, J. 1990. 3.9.9.1 Conifers. In, Rosen, D. (ed). Armoured Scale Insects, Their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control, Vol. 4B. World Crop Pests. Amsterdam, The Netherlands : Elsevier). During the 1970s it became a severe pest of avocado in Israel, as a result of the lethal effect of drift of synthetic insecticides from neighbouring cotton fields, on natural enemies of the mealybug. Swirski, E., Izhar, Y., Wysoki, M., Gurevitz, E. & Greenberg, S. 1980. Integrated control of the long-tailed mealybug, Pseudococcus longispinus [Hom.: Pseudococcidae] in avocado plantations in Israel. Entomophaga 25(4): 415–426 studied and discussed this case of re-establishment of efficient biological control of this potential pest in avocado plantations in Israel. Rosciglione, B. & Castellano, M.A. 1985. Further evidence that mealybugs can transmit Grapevine virus A (GVA) to herbaceous hosts. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 24: 186–188 showed that this mealybug transmitted Grapevine Virus A (GVA) from grapevine to Nicotiana clevelandii. Tanne, E., Ben-Dov, Y. & Raccah, B. 1989. Transmission of closterovirus-like particles by mealybugs (Pseudococcidea) in Israel. Phytoparasitica 17(1): 63–64 ascertained that it transmitted Leafroll Virus from infected grapevine to virus-free grapevines.

SYSTEMATICS

Until the 1960s most of the publications relating to this species have been under either Dactylopius adonidum (L.) or Pseudococcus adonidum (L.). De Lotto, G. 1965. The nomenclature status of the common long tailed mealy bug (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 27: 226–229 critically studied the nomenclature and proved that Coccus adonidum Linnaeus, 1767, was not a scale insect, and resurrected Dactylopius longispinus Targioni Tozzetti, 1867 as the senior synonym of the long tailed mealybug. For a detailed discussion, see De Lotto (1965).

GENERAL

Good description and illustration of the adult female given by Ferris in Zimmerman, E.C. 1948. Homoptera: Sternorrhyncha. pp. 268 in Zimmerman, E.C. (ed). Insects of Hawaii. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press Vol. 5 464 pp., Ferris, G.F. 1950. Atlas of the Scale Insects of North America. (Ser. 5, vol. 5). The Pseudococcidae (Part I). Palo Alto, California : Stanford University Press 278 pp., McKenzie, H.L. 1967. Mealybugs of California with taxonomy, biology, and control of North American species (Homoptera: Cooccoidea: Pseudococcidae). Berkeley : Univ. Calif. Press 526 pp., Ter-Grigorian, M.A. 1973. Soft and armored scales (Coccoidea) mealybugs (Pseudococcidae). In Fauna of Armenian SSR. Izvestiya Akademii Nauk Armianskoi SSR. Erevan [1973]: 1–246, Cox, J.M. 1987. Pseudococcidae (Insecta: Hemiptera). In, Duval, C.T. (ed). Fauna of New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand : DSIR Science Information Publishing Centre Vol. 11 229 pp., 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., 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. & Calilung, V.J. 1994. Philippine mealybugs of the genus Pseudococcus (Pseudococcidae, Coccoidea, Hemiptera). Philippine Entomology 9: 254–267. Good description and illustration of the adult male given by Beardsley, J.W. 1960. A preliminary study of the males of some Hawaiian mealybugs (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 17: 199–243. Good description and illustration of the female second-instar nymph and female last-instar nymph given by Ter-Grigorian, M.A. 1973. Soft and armored scales (Coccoidea) mealybugs (Pseudococcidae). In Fauna of Armenian SSR. Izvestiya Akademii Nauk Armianskoi SSR. Erevan [1973]: 1–246. Good description of the adult female given by Borchsenius, N.S. 1949. Insects Homoptera. suborders mealybugs and scales (Coccoidea). Family mealybugs (Pseudococcidae). Vol. VII. Fauna SSSR. Zoologicheskii Institut Akademii Nauk SSSR 38: 1–382.

BIOLOGY

Various aspects of behaviour and biology under laboratory conditions in the Netherlands were studied by Bayer, C.G.F.H. 1929. Over de biologie van Pseudococcus adonidum (Linn.) Westw. Leiden : Rijks University 144 pp.. Pataki, E. 1975. Observations on the moulting of aphids, scales and mealybugs. Acta Phytopathologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 10: 141–151 presented observations on the moulting process. Life cycle in New Zealand described by Cox, J.M. 1979. Longtailed mealy bug life cycle (Pseudococcus longispinus). Information Series. New Zealand Department of Science and Industrial Research 105: 32. Campbell, C.A.M. 1983. The assessment of mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) and other Homoptera on mature cocoa trees in Ghana. Bulletin of Entomological Research 73: 137–151 assessed the presence and spatial distribution on cocoa trees in Ghana. Smith, D., Beattie, G.A.C. & Broadley, R.H. 1997. Citrus Pests and their Natural Enemies: Integrated Pest Management in Australia. Brisbane, Australia : State of Queensland, Department of Primary Industries, and Horticultural Research and Development Corp. 263 pp. indicated that on citrus in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, it develops 4–6 generations per year, and 3–4 generations in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

STRUCTURE

Colour photograph given by McKenzie, H.L. 1967. Mealybugs of California with taxonomy, biology, and control of North American species (Homoptera: Cooccoidea: Pseudococcidae). Berkeley : Univ. Calif. Press 526 pp., Cox, J.M. 1979. Longtailed mealy bug life cycle (Pseudococcus longispinus). Information Series. New Zealand Department of Science and Industrial Research 105: 32, De Villiers, E.A., Bedford, E.C.G. & Petty, G.T. 1987. Mealybugs and Australian bug. In, Myburgh, A.C. (ed). Crop Pests in southern Africa, Vol. 2: Citrus and other Subtropicals. Pretoria, S.A. : Plant Protection Research Institute, Department of Agriculture and Water Supply 115 pp. and by Johnson, W.T. & Lyon, H.H. 1988. Insects that Feed on Trees and Shrubs. Ithaca, N.Y. : Comstock Pub. Associates 556 pp.. Colour photograph of the general appearance see Carvalho, J.P. & Aguiar, A.M.F. 1997. [Citrus pests in the Island of Madeira] Pragas dos citrinos na Ilha da Madeira. Madeira : Secretaria Regional de Agricultura, Florestas e Pescs 411 pp.. Rotundo, G. 1975. [La discriminazione dierodiagnostica negli Pseudococcidi. (Homoptera: Coccoidea).] Serum diagnostic discrimination in pseudococcids. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Entomologia Agraria 'Filippo Silvestri', Portici 32: 3–9, Tremblay, E., Tranfaglia, A., Rotundo, G. & Iaccarino, F.M. 1977. Comparative observations on some pseudococcid species (Homoptera Coccoidea). Bollettino del Laboratorio di Entomologia Agraria 'Filippo Silvestri', Portici 34: 113–135 and Rotundo, G. & Tremblay, E. 1980. Serological studies on five species of Pseudococcidae (Homoptera). Systematic Entomology 5: 431–435 evaluated its degree of affinity to three mealybug species using male and female morphology, chromosome numbers, endosymbionts, serological studies and immuno-electrophoresis. 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=8. Molyneux, R.J., Campbell, B.C. & Dreyer, D.L. 1990. Honeydew analysis for detecting phloem transport of plant natural products: implications for host-plant resistance to sap-sucking insects. Journal of Chemical Ecology 16(6): 1899–1909 gave a chemical analysis of the honeydew. Munson, M.A., Baumann, P. & Moran, N.A. 1992. Phylogenetic relationships of the endosymbionts of mealybugs (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) based on 16S rDNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 1(1): 26–30 and Baumann, P., Munson, M.A., Lai, C.Y., Clark, M.A., Baumann, L., Moran, N.A. & Campbell, B.C. 1993. Origin and properties of bacterial endosymbionts of aphids, whiteflies, and mealybugs. American Society for Microbiology News 59: 21–24 studied the relationship of endosymbionts of this mealybug, of D. neobrevipes, of Ps. maritimus and of aphids, and concluded that those of the mealybug are related and phylogenetically are distinct from those of aphids.