Species: Planococcus lilacinus (Cockerell) - Catalog

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Common name: Coffee mealybug Field Characters: Body rotund; conspicuously rounded in lateral view; brownish red or tan; mealy wax covering body, in thick segmental clumps on mature females, body color evident at segmental lines; with dorsomedial bare area on dorsum forming central longitudinal stripe or oval area; ovisac absent; with 18 lateral wax filaments, broad, convergent, posterior pairs sometimes curved, others straight, all filaments about same length, about 1/8 length of body. Primarily occurring on the fruit, stems, and foliage of host; specimens have been reported on the roots of coffee. Ovoviviparous, first instars pale maroon. Surface of lateral filaments rough.
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Validation characters: Longest dorsal seta longer than 50 µ; legs robust, hind femur with an average of 2.4 and a range of 2.1 to 2.8 times longer than greatest width; translucent pores on hind coxa and tibia, absent from femur; without dorsolateral tubular ducts; usually with ventral oral-collar tubular ducts laterad of front and middle coxae; usually with ventral oral collars between antennae;usually without multilocular pores posterior of front coxa; anal bar present; 18 pairs of cerarii; no auxiliary setae. Comparison: Planococcus lilacinus can be distinguished from other species in the genus by having elongate dorsal setae (50 µ or longer) and robust legs (hind femur with an average of 2.4 and a range of 2.1 to 2.8 times longer than greatest width). Other species of Planococcus treated in this key have dorsal setae shorter than 50 µ and slender legs (hind femur with an average of 3.2 and a range of 2.7 to 4.1 times longer than greatest width). U.S. quarantine notes: This species is commonly taken on a wide variety of plants and has been reported on more than 35 host families. It is intercepted at US ports-of-entry from nearly any warm area of the world and is reported in all zoogeographic regions except for the Nearctic. Several species of Planococcus other than P. citri, P. ficus, P. halli, P. kraunhiae, P. lilacinus, and P. minor have been taken at US ports-of-entry including: P. angkorensis (Takahashi) (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam on many tropical plants); P. dendrobi Ezzat and McConnell (India, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand on Cypripedium, Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, Saccolobium, and Vanda); P. hosnyi Ezzat and McConnell (South Africa on orchid); P. hospitus DeLotto (Uganda on Cyrtorchis); P. japonicus Cox (Japan and the Philippines on Carpinus, Fatsia, Lansium, Malus, Rhododendron, and Vitis); P. kenyae (LePelley) (Nigeria, Sierra Leone on Ficus and Cola); P. litchi Cox (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam on Annona, Dimocarpus, Eriobotrya, Litchi, and Nephelium); P. mali Ezzat and McConnell (New Zealand on Malus and Olearia); P. orchidi Cox (Liberia on orchids); P. philippinensis Ezzat and McConnell (Philippines on Aerides, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Eria, Phalaenopsis, Spathoglottis, and Vanda). References: Cox1989; Willia2004. All references mentioning: Planococcus lilacinus
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