Species Rhizoecus falcifer Kunckel d'Herculais, 1878

Museums

Regional Maps

• Rhizoecus falcifer Kunckel d'Herculais, J. 1878. Histoire de la cochenille vivant sur les racines des palmiers de la section des seafortha. Exposé des caractères du genre Rhizoecus. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 8: 161-164 [164].
• Ripersia terrestris Newstead, R. 1895. Observations on Coccidae (No. 12). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 31: 213-214 [213].
• Rhizoecus africanus Brain, C.K. 1915. The Coccidae of South Africa. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 5: 65-194 [89].
• Rhizoecus decoratus Green, E.E. 1926. Observations on British Coccidae. – X. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 62: 172-183 [177].
• Rhizoecus moruliferus Green, E.E. 1933. Notes on some Coccidae from Surinam, Dutch Guiana, with descriptions of new species. Stylops 2: 49-58 [52].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Lindinger, L. 1935. Neue Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Schildläuse (Coccidae). Entomologische Zeitschrift 49: 121-123 [145] (synonymy of Ripersia terrestris Newstead, 1895)
• Hambleton, E.J. 1946. Studies of hypogeic mealybugs. Revista de Entomologia. Rio de Janeiro 17: 1-77 [53] (synonymy of Rhizoecus africanus Brain, 1915; synonymy of Rhizoecus decoratus Green, 1926)
• Williams, D.J. 1961. Changes in nomenclature affecting some Coccoidea (Homoptera). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 97: 92-93 [93] (synonymy of Rhizoecus moruliferus Green, 1933)

Ecological Descriptors

Sap-feeder.

ID Keys

(Marotta, S., 1995) [120] (female; Italy); (Russo, A. & Mazzeo, G., 1992) [218] (female; Italy); (Tang, F.T., 1992) [54] (female; China); (Williams, D.J. & Granara de Willink, M.C., 1992) [496] (female; Central and South America); (Cox, J.M., 1987) [85] (female; New Zealand); (Williams, D.J., 1987) [191] (female; Australia); (Williams, D.J., 1985) [353] (female; Australia); (Hambleton, E.J., 1979) [148] (female; U.S.A., Florida); (Cox, J.M., 1978) [624] (female; New Zealand); (Hambleton, E.J., 1976) [7] (female; world); (Hambleton, E.J., 1974) [148] (female; world); (Hambleton, E.J., 1973) [64] (female; U.S.A., Florida); (McKenzie, H.L., 1967) [371] (female; U.S.A., California); (McKenzie, H.L., 1962) [673] (female; North America); (Williams, D.J., 1962) [41] (female); (McKenzie, H.L., 1961) [42] (female; North America); (McKenzie, H.L., 1960) [743] (female; North America); (Ferris, G.F., 1953) [427] (female; North America); (Hambleton, E.J., 1946) [51] (female; world)

GENERAL

Good description and illustration of the adult female given by Ferris, G.F. 1953. Atlas of the Scale Insects of North America, v. 6, The Pseudococcidae (Part II). Palo Alto, California : Stanford University Press 506 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., Hambleton, E.J. 1976. A revision of the new world mealybugs of the genus Rhizoecus (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). United States Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 1522: 1–88, Cox, J.M. 1978. Revision of the Rhizoecus species (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) known from New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 5: 623–638; 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., 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 and by Williams, D.J. & Granara de Willink, M.C. 1992. Mealybugs of Central and South America. London, England : CAB International Institute of Entomology 635 pp.. Good description and illustration of the adult male given by Beardsley, J.W. 1962. Descriptions and notes on male mealybugs (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae). Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 28: 81–98. Good description of the adult female given by Tang, F.T. 1992. [The Pseudococcidae of China]. Taigu, Shanxi, China : Shanxi Agricultural University 768 pp..

BIOLOGY

Occurring on the roots of its host plants.

STRUCTURE

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. provided a colour illustration of the adult female and its habitat.

ECONOMIC AND CONTROL

A pest of ornamental plants in various parts of the world (see 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. 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).

Common Name References

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. (Ground 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/. (Root Mealybug)

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