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Species Pulvinaria mesembryanthemi (Vallot, 1829)

Cottony Pigface Scale, Iceplant Scale

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

 

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).

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
05-Jun-2024 COCCOIDEA 25-Mar-2024 MODIFIED Dr Vivian Sandoval (ABRS)
21-Nov-2012 01-May-2014 MODIFIED
29-Jun-2012 29-Jun-2012 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)