Species: Crisicoccus azaleae (Tinsley) - Catalog
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Common name: Azalea mealybug

Field Characters: Body oval; possibly purple; legs probably yellow; lateral filaments short, inconspicuous or absent on head and thorax, short and about same length on abdomen; ovisac secretion white, felted, not covering dorsum, but developed ventrally;. Occurring on stems and leaves, normally on azaleas. Oviparous, eggs purple.

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Habitus photo
when available 		Photomicrograph of Crisicoccus Azaelae jpg image of Crisicoccus azaleae drawing
Validation characters: Fewer than 18 pairs of cerarii; dorsal setae on posterior 2 or 3 abdominal segments filamentous, about same length or longer than cerarian setae; dorsal setae on thorax conspicuously shorter than ventral setae; anal bar present; cerarii without filamentous auxilary setae except anal lobe pair.

Comparison: Crisicoccus azaleae is most commonly confused with Planococcus japonicus Cox but differs by having 13 to 15 pairs of cerarii (17 or 18 in P. japonicus) and dorsomedial setae on posterior 3 abdominal segments filamentous and about same length or longer than cerarian setae (dosomedial setae on posterior 3 abdominal segments conical and slightly smaller than cerarian setae on P. japonicus). This species has also been confused with Crisicoccus matsumotoi (Shiraiwa) but differs by having 13 to 15 pairs of cerarii (up to 17 on C. matsumotoi), cerarian setae conical (filamentous on C. matsumotoi), dorsal thoracic setae less than half as long as ventral thoracic setae (about same length on C. matsumotoi).

U.S. quarantine notes: This species is occasionally taken in quarantine from Japan on azalea. Several species of Crisicoccus other than C. azaleae have been taken at US ports-of-entry including: C. echinodes Williams (the Philippines on Lansium and Nephelium), C. hirsutus Williams (India on Mangifera), C. matsumotoi (Japan, Philippines on Chaenomeles, Codiaeum, Firmiana, Pyrus), C. pilosus Ezzat and McConnell (India on Dahlia), C. pini (Kuwana) (Japan on Pinus and Taxus), and C. theobromae Williams and Watson (Malasyia and the Philippines on Punica and Nephelium).

References: Cox1989; Kawai1980; McKenz1967; Tang1992.

All references mentioning: Crisicoccus azaleae

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