Aspidiotus Explained

Aspidiotus is a genus of armoured scale insects.^[1] It includes several agricultural and horticultural pests.

A. destructor was originally blamed for a massive die-off of coconut trees in the Philippines which began about 2009. It has been involved previously in die-offs in Indonesia. In July 2014, following a detailed morphological review, scientists announced that instead A. rigidus, was to blame. A. rigidus has few natural predators in the Philippines which leads to the surging infestation.^[2]

Species

• Aspidiotus anningensis Tang & Chu, 1983
• Aspidiotus artus Munting, 1971
• Aspidiotus atomarius (Hall, 1946)
• Aspidiotus atripileus Munting, 1971
• Aspidiotus beilschmiediae Takagi, 1969^{[3] [4]}
• Aspidiotus brachystegiae Hall, 1928
• Aspidiotus capensis Newstead, 1917
• Aspidiotus cerasi Fitch, 1857
• Aspidiotus chamaeropsis Signoret, 1869
• Aspidiotus chinensis Kuwana & Muramatsu, 1931
• Aspidiotus cryptomeriae Kuwana, 1902 - Sugi scale
• Aspidiotus destructor Cockerell in Fernald, 1903 - coconut scale^[5]
• Aspidiotus hedericola Leonardi, 1920
• Aspidiotus nerii Bouché, 1833 - oleander scale, worldwide distribution, originated in Europe^{[6] [7]}
• Aspidiotus rigidus Reyne, 1947^[8]
• Aspidiotus taiyuanensis (Feng, 2011)
• Aspidiotus zizyphi Hall, 1929

Former species

• Aspidiotus abieticola Koroneos, 1934 synonym for Dynaspidiotus abieticola (Koroneos, 1934)
• Aspidiotus hederae Leonardi, 1898 synonym for Aspidiotus nerii Bouché, 1833
• Aspidiotus ostreaeformis Curtis, 1843 synonym for Diaspidiotus ostreaeformis (Curtis, 1843)^{[9] [10]}

Notes and References

1. Munting. J.. 1971. Notes on the genus Aspidiotus Bouché (Homoptera: Diaspididae). Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa. 34. 2. 305 - 317.
2. Web site: Killer bug behind coconut plague identified | Science News. NSIKAN AKPAN. 18 August 2014. Science News. 2014-08-25.
3. Takagi . Sadao. Sadao Takagi. 1969. Diaspididae of Taiwan based on material collected in connection with the Japan-U.S. Co-operative Science Programme, 1965 (Homoptera: Coccoidea). Part I.. Insecta Matsumurana. 32. 1. 1–110.
4. Tachikawa, T.. 1973. Discovery of Aspidiotus beilschmiediae Takagi (Homoptera: Diaspididae) from Japan and its Aphelinid parasite (Hymenoptera). Transactions of the Shikoku Entomological Society. 11. 4. 137.
5. Web site: Kessing, Jayma L. Martin . Mau, Ronald F.L. . Diez, J. M. . amp . April 2007. Aspidiotus destructor (Signoret). EXTension ENTOmology & UH-CTAHR Integrated Pest Management Program, University of Hawaii. Honolulu, Hawaii. https://web.archive.org/web/20070627052518/http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase//Crop/Type/a_destru.htm. 27 June 2007. live.
6. Lidgett, J.. 1902. Aspidiotus hederae in Australia. Entomological News. 13. 43–45.
7. Web site: Tenbrink, Victoria . Hara, Arnold H. . amp . March 1992. Aspidiotus nerii (Bouché). EXTension ENTOmology & UH-CTAHR Integrated Pest Management Program, University of Hawaii. Hilo, Hawaii. https://web.archive.org/web/20070627052636/http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase//Crop/Type/a_nerii.htm. 27 June 2007. live.
8. 10.1111/afe.12074
9. Curtis, J.. 1843. Aspidiotus ostreaeformis (the pear-tree oysterscale). The Gardeners' Chronicle and gardening illustrated. London. 46. 805.
10. Borchsenius, Nikolai S.. Nikolai Sergeevich Borchsenius . 1949. Identification of the soft and armored scales of Armenia. Russian. Proceedings of the Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. 1949. 1 - 271.