Species: Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana) - Catalog

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Common name: Comstock mealybug Field Characters: Body oval; slightly rounded in lateral view; body pink to light reddish brown; mealy wax covering body, usually thick enough to hide body color except on intersegmental lines; without longitudinal lines on dorsum; ovisac ventral only; with 17 lateral wax filaments, most about 1/4 width of body, straight, thin, posterior 2 pairs longer than others, posterior pair longest, varying from 1/4 to 2/3 length of body. Primarily occurring on foliage, stems, and bark of host. Oviparous, eggs pinkish brown. Surface of lateral filaments smooth.
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Validation characters: Dorsal setae long, almost as long as ventral setae; translucent pores on hind coxa, femur, and tibia; dorsal oral-collar tubular ducts scattered over surface particularly on thorax and head; ventral oral-collar tubular ducts present in clusters between antennae and laterad of front and middle coxae; oral-rim tubular ducts usually sparse on dorsum, most abundant on abdomen, least abundant in medial area of thorax; without discoidal pores near eye. Comparison: Pseudococcus comstocki is similar to P. apodemus Williams and P. odermatti Miller and Williams by having long dorsal setae, dorsal oral-collar tubular ducts, and translucent pores on the hind coxa, femur, and tibia. Pseudococcus comstocki differs from P. apodemus by having the penultimate cerarius without basal sclerotization and many more translucent pores on the hind tibia. It differs from P. odermatti by having the penultimate cerarius without basal sclerotization and translucent pores on the hind coxa. U.S. quarantine notes: This species is taken at US ports-of-entry primarily on fruit trees and ornamental shrubs from Britain, Canada, China, Former Soviet Union, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico. Several species of Pseudococcus other than P. aurantiacus, P. baliteus, P. calceolariae, P. comstocki, P. cryptus, P. elisae, P. jackbeardsleyi, P. landoi, P. longispinus, P. maritimus, P. odermatti, and P. viburni have been taken at US ports-of-entry including: P. agavis MacGregor (Mexico on Agave); P. apodemus Williams (Philippines on Fortunella and Mangifera); P. apomicrocirculus Gimpel and Miller (Mexico on orchids); P. apoplanus Williams (India on orchids); P. aurantiacus Williams (Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand on Garcinia, Lansium, and Nephelium); P. concavocerarii James (Somalia on Euphorbia); P. dendrobiorum Williams (Australia, India, Indonesia, Maylasia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand, on orchids); P. donrileyii Gimpel and Miller (Mexico on Citrus); P. importatus McKenzie (Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Trinidad, and Venezuela on orchids); P. microcirculus McKenzie (Antigua, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Britain, British West Indies, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad, and Venezuela on orchids); P. nakaharai Gimpel and Miller (Mexico on cactus); P. neomaritimus Beardsley (Mexico on Citrus, Psidium, and Punica); P. neomicrocirculus Gimpel and Miller (Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Venezuela on orchids); P. orchidicola Takahashi (Kwajalein, Marshall, Samoa, Tonga on Alocasia, Dendrobium, and Pandanus); P. philippinicus Williams (Philippines on Garcinia, Lansium, Melicoccus, and Nephelium); P. sociabilis (Brazil on Annona, Cattleya, Carica, Hedera, Hippeastrum, Dahlia, Oncidium, Solanum, and Zygopetalum); Pseudococcus solenedyos Gimpel and Miller (Mexico on Mangifera, Psidium, Punica, Spondias, and Tamarindus); P. solomonensis Williams (Micronesia and Palau on Musa and Piper). References: McKenz1967, Willia2004. All references mentioning: Pseudococcus comstocki
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