Species Pulvinaria mesembryanthemi (Vallot, 1829)

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Species Pulvinaria mesembryanthemi (Vallot, 1829)

Cottony Pigface Scale, Iceplant Scale

Coccus mesembryanthemi Vallot, J.N. 1829. Nouvelle espèce de cochenilles. Comptes Rendus de l'Academie des Sciences, Arts et Belles-lettres de Dijon [1828–1829]: 30-33 [31].
Calypticus mesembrianthemi Costa, A. 1844. Descrizione di una novelle specie di cocciniglia del genere Calittico, Cos. che vive sopra il Mesembrianthemum acinaciforme. Annali dell'Accademia degli Aspiranti Naturalisti, Napoli 22: 273-276 [273].
Pulvinaria biplicata Targioni Tozzetti, A. 1868. Introduzione alla seconda memoria per gli studi sulle cocciniglie, e catalogo dei generi e delle specie della famiglia dei coccidi. Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali 11: 694-738 [unjustified replacement name, see Ben-Dov, Y. & Russo, A. 1993. Giovanni De Lotto (1912–1990). Bollettino del Laboratorio di Entomologia Agraria 'Filippo Silvestri', Portici 48: 245–251 (270)].
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.
Icerya mesembryanthemi Peringuey, L. 1893. Note on a supposed new Icerya. Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society 8[1890–1893]: 50-51 [50].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Fernald, M.E. 1903. Notes on the Coccidae. The Canadian Entomologist 35: 22 [136] (synonymy of Calypticus mesembrianthemi Costa, 1844)
Lindinger, L. 1935. Neue Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Schildläuse (Coccidae). Entomologische Zeitschrift 49: 121-123 [145] (synonymy of Icerya mesembryanthemi Peringuey, 1893)

Generic Combinations

Pulvinaria mesembryanthemi (Vallot, 1829).

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia

Ecological Descriptors

Sap-feeder.

ID Keys

(Hodgson, C.J. & Henderson, R.C., 2000) [212] (female; New Zealand); (Gill, R.J., 1988) [85] (female; USA, California)

GENERAL

Good description and illustration of adult female by De Lotto, G. 1967. The soft scales (Homoptera: Coccidae) of South Africa. I. South African Journal of Agricultural Science 10: 781–810, Hodgson, C.J. 1967. Some Pulvinaria species (Homoptera: Coccidae) of the Ethiopian region. Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 30: 198–211; Hodgson, C.J. 1968. Further notes on the genus Pulvinaria Targ. (Homoptera: Coccoidea) from the Ethiopian region. Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 31: 141–174; Hodgson, C.J. 1994. The scale insect family Coccidae: an identification manual to genera. Wallingford, Oxon, UK : CAB International Institute of Entomology 639 pp., Gill, R.J. 1988. The Scale Insects of California: Part 1. The Soft Scales (Homoptera : Coccoidea : Coccidae). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture 132 pp., Granara de Willink, M.C. 1999. [Soft scale insects of Argentina (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae)] Las cochinillas blandas de la República Argentina (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae). Contributions on Entomology, International 3(1): 1–183 and by Hodgson, C.J. & Henderson, R.C. 2000. Coccidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccoidea). Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand : Manaaki Whenua Press 259 pp..

BIOLOGY

Washburn, J.O. & Frankie, G.W. 1981. Dispersal of a scale insect, Pulvinariella mesembryanthemi (Homoptera: Coccoidea) on iceplant in California. Environmental Entomology 10: 724–727, Washburn, J.O., Frankie, G.W., Hagen, K.S. & Koehler, C.S. 1982. Ecology and Biological Control of Iceplant Scale, in California. Berkely, CA : Univ. of CA; Fed. Highway Admin., Sacramento, CA 38 pp. and Washburn, J.O. & Washburn, L. 1984. Active aerial dispersal of minute wingless arthropods: exploitation of boundary-layer velocity gradients. Science 223: 1088–1089 studied the life history in California, USA and showed that first instar crawlers exhibit active aerial dispersal behaviour.

STRUCTURE

See colour photograph in Gill, R.J. 1988. The Scale Insects of California: Part 1. The Soft Scales (Homoptera : Coccoidea : Coccidae). Sacramento, California : California Dept of Food & Agriculture 132 pp., Hodgson, C.J. 1994. The scale insect family Coccidae: an identification manual to genera. Wallingford, Oxon, UK : CAB International Institute of Entomology 639 pp. and Hodgson, C.J. & Henderson, R.C. 2000. Coccidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccoidea). Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand : Manaaki Whenua Press 259 pp..

ECONOMIC AND CONTROL

A potential pest to Aizoaceous ground covers in California, USA (see Donaldson, D.R., Moore, W.S., Koehler, C.S. & Joos, J.L. 1978. Scales threaten iceplant in Bay area. California Agriculture 32: 4–7).