Abstract
The notoriously destructive and invasive soft scale, Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae), is recorded for the first time from India. The scale is redescribed to facilitate its identification and information on its host range, natural enemies and distribution is provided. An identification key to the Indian species in this genus is given. Management options in the event of an outbreak are discussed briefly. The establishment of this scale insect warrants special attention in India as it is a potentially damaging plant pest and has a broad host range across many plant families.
References
Avasthi, R.K. & Shafee, S.A. (1986) Species of Ceroplastinae (Homoptera: Coccidae) from India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 83, 327-338.
Bartlett, B.R. (1978) Coccidae. In: Clausen, C.P. (Ed.), Introduced Parasites and Predators of Arthropod Pests and Weeds: A World Review. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C., pp. 57-74.
Cockerell, T.D.A. (1893) Records of West Indian Coccidae, I. Journal of the Institute of Jamaica, 1, 373.
Cockerell, T.D.A. (1896) Notes and descriptions of the new Coccidae collected in Mexico by Prof. C.H.T. Townsend. Bulletin, United States Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomology, Technical Series, 4, 31-39.
Comstock, J.H. (1881) Report of the entomologist. Part II. Report on scale insects. In: Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, 1880/1881, pp. 276-349.
Crooks, J.A. (2005) Lag times and exotic species: The ecology and management of biological invasions in slow-motion. Ecoscience, 12 (3), 316-329. https://doi.org/10.2980/i1195-6860-12-3-316.1
Crooks, J.A. & Soulé, M. (1999) Lag times in population explosions of invasive species: causes and implications. In: Sandlund, O.T., Schei, P.J. & Viken, A. (Eds.), Invasive Species and Biodiversity Management. Population and Community Biology Series. Vol. 24. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 103-125. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4523-7_7
De Lotto, G. (1971) On some genera and species of wax scales (Homoptera: Coccidae). Journal of Natural History, 5, 133-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222937100770091
García Morales, M., Denno, B.D., Miller, D.R., Miller, G.L., Ben-Dov, Y. & Hardy, N.B. (2016) ScaleNet: a literature-based model of scale insect biology and systematics. Database, 2016, bav118. Available from: http://scalenet.info (accessed 25 August 2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/database/bav118
Gill, R.J. (1988) The Scale Insects of California. Part 1. The Soft Scales (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae). California Department of Food & Agriculture, Sacramento, California, 132 pp.
Gimpel, W.F., Miller, D.R. & Davidson, J.A. (1974) A systematic revision of the wax scales, genus Ceroplastes, in the United States (Homoptera; Coccoidea; Coccidae). University of Maryland, Agricultural Experiment Station, Miscellaneous Publication, 841, 1-85.
Haworth, A.H. (1812) XI.—Observations on the Coccus vitis; with remarks on some other insects of that destructive genus. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 1, 297-309.
Hempel, A. (1900) As coccidas Brasileiras. Revista do Museu Paulista. São Paulo, 4, 365-537.
Hodges, G. (2002) Pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green). Pest Alert. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, No. 01652. Available from: https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/66442/file/Pest_Alert_-_Maconellicoccus_hirsutus,_Pink_hibiscus_mealybug.pdf (accessed 31 August 2021)
Hodgson, C.J., Abbas, G., Arif, M.J., Saeed, S. & Karar, H. (2008) Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae), an invasive mealybug damaging cotton in Pakistan and India, with a discussion on seasonal morphological variation. Zootaxa, 1913 (1), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1913.1.1
Hodgson, C.J. & Peronti, A.L.B.G. (2012) A revision of the wax scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Ceroplastinae) of the Afrotropical Region. Zootaxa, 3372 (1), 1-265. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3372.1.1
Houser, J.S. (1918) The Coccidae of Cuba. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 11, 157-172. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/11.2.157
ICAR-NBAIR (2019) Annual Report 2018-19. ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru, 100 pp.
Joshi, S. (2017) First record of Pulvinaria urbicola Cockerell (Hemiptera: Coccidae) from India, with a key to the Indian species of Pulvinaria Targioni Tozzetti. Zootaxa, 4236 (3), 533-542. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4236.3.7
Joshi, S. & Firake, D.M. (2020) First record of Platylecanium nepalense Takagi (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) from India, with redescription and a key to the species of Platylecanium Cockerell & Robinson. Phytoparasitica, 48 (1), 35-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-019-00767-6
Joshi, S. & Kondo, T. (2020) First report of Hemilecanium theobromae Newstead (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) from India. African Entomology, 28 (2), 425-432. https://doi.org/10.4001/003.028.0425
Joshi, S. & Rameshkumar, A. (2017) Silent foray of three soft scale insects in India. Current Science, 112 (3), 629-635. https://doi.org/10.18520/cs/v112/i03/629-635
Joshi, S., Lokeshwari, D., Krishna Kumar, N.K., Manjunatha, H., Verghese, A. & Jalali, S.K. (2014) Wahlgreiella nervata (Hemiptera: Aphididae), A new pest of rose in India. Florida Entomologist, 97 (1), 162-167.
https://doi.org/10.1653/024.097.0122
Joshi, S., Pai, S.G., Deepthy, K.B., Ballal, C.R. & Watson, G.W. (2020) The cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) arrives in India. Zootaxa, 4772 (1), 191-194. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4772.1.8
Kelly, C.L., Schwarzkopf, L., Gordon, I.J. & Hirsch, B. (2021) Population growth lags in introduced species. Ecology and Evolution, 1, 4577-4587. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7352
Kosztarab, M.P. (1996) Scale insects of Northeastern North America. Identification, biology, and distribution. Virginia Museum of Natural History Martinsburg, Virginia, 650 pp.
Leonardi, G. (1911) Contributo alla conoscenza delle coccinglie della República Argentina. (In Italian). Bollettino del R. Laboratorio di Entomologia Agraria di Portici, 5, 237-284.
Li, G., Wang, X.B. & Wu, S.A. (2018) Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock: a new invasive pest in China (Hemiptera: Coccormorpha: Coccidae). Chinese Journal of Applied Entomology, 55 (3), 527-532. https://doi.org/10.7679/j.issn.2095-1353.2018.066
Mani, M., Joshi, S., Kalyansundaram, M., Shivaraju, C., Krishnamoorthy, A., Asokan, R. & Rebijth, K.B. (2013) A new invasive jackbeardsley mealybug, Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on papaya in India. Florida Entomologist, 96, 242-245. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.096.0135
Miller, D.R., Rung, A. & Parikh, G. (2014) Scale Insects, edition 2, a tool for the identification of potential pest scales at U.S.A. ports-of-entry (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Coccoidea). ZooKeys, 431, 61-78. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.431.7474
Muniappan, R., Shepard, B.M., Watson, G.W., Carner, G.R., Sartiami, D., Rauf, A. & Hammig, M.D. (2008) First report of the papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), in Indonesia and India. Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology, 25, 37-40. https://doi.org/10.3954/1523-5475-25.1.37
Muringatheri, M. (2021) Control method developed against invasive alien insect. Thrissur. The Hindu, 17 June 2021. Available from: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/control-method-developed-against-invasive-alien-insect/article34841254.ece (accessed 23 August 2021)
Ouvrard, D., Kondo, T. & Gullan, P.J. (2013) Scale insects: major pests and management. In: Encyclopedia of Pest Management. Taylor and Francis, New York, New York, pp. 1-4.
Shylesha, A.N. & Joshi, S. (2012) Occurrence of Madeira mealybug, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on cotton in India and record of associated parasitoids. Journal of Biological Control, 26, 272-273.
Wang, F., Wang, D., Guo, G., Zhang, M., Lang, J. & Wei, J. (2020) Potential distributions of the invasive barnacle scale Ceroplastes cirripediformis (Hemiptera: Coccidae) under climate change and implications for its management. Journal of Economic Entomology, 114 (1), 82-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa245