Species: Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell) - Catalog

or Close Window
if opened from the key.
Common name: Pineapple mealybug

Field Characters: Body oval or rotund; pink or pink-orange; legs yellowish brown; body covered by thin layer of white mealy wax allowing body color to be visible, without bare areas on dorsum; dorsal ovisac absent, a few filamentous strands on venter; with 17 pairs of conspicuous lateral wax filaments, often slightly curved, posterior pairs longest, one-third to one-half as long as body, anterior filaments shorter than posterior pairs. Occurring on all parts of plant, usually in protected area. Ovoviviparous, eggs pink.

Click on images for more details
Thumbnail of Dysmicoccus brevipes in situ jpg photomicrograph image of Dysmicoccus brevipes jpg image of Dysmicoccus brevipes drawing
Validation characters: Setae on dorsomedial area of segment VIII longer than on segments VII and VI; discoidal pores present near eye; ventral multilocular pores restricted to segments VI, VII, and VIII; translucent pores on hind femur and tibia; 2, 3, or even 4 conical setae in abdominal cerarii; without ventral oral collars in cluster laterad of front coxa; concentration of discoidal pores in dorsomedial area of abdominal segment VIII, 17 pairs of cerarii.

Comparison: Dysmicoccus brevipes is most similar to D. neobrevipes by having discoidal pores near the eyes, ventral multiloculars normally restricted to segments VI, VII, and VIII, translucent pores on hind femur and tibia, and no ventral oral collars laterad of front coxae. Dysmicoccus neobrevipes differs by having dorsal setae on dorsomedial area of segment VIII about same length as those on segments VII and VI.

U.S. quarantine notes: This species is one of the most commonly intercepted mealybugs at U. S. ports of entry. It is polyphagous (found on more than 50 plant families), but is often detected on pineapple and other tropical fruits. It is known from all zoogeographic regions of the world but requires a relatively mild tropical or subtropical climate. Several species of Dysmicoccus other than D. brevipes, D. boninsis, D. grassii, D. neobrevipes, and Dysmicoccus sp. nr. bispinosus have been taken in quarantine including: D. finitimus Williams (southern Asia), D. hambletoni Williams and Granara de Willink (Ecuador), D. lansii Williams (Philippines), D. lepelleyi (Betrem)(southern Asia), D. mackenziei Beardsley (Central America and Mexico on bromeliads), D. orchidum Williams (southern Asia on orchids), D. probrevipes (Morrison)(Central and South America); D. viatorius Williams (Philippines).

References: WilliaWa1988a; Willia2004; WilliaGr1992.

All references mentioning: Dysmicoccus brevipes

Return to Find Image Page! or Return to Species List Page!