Species: Pseudococcus cryptus Hempel - Catalog

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Common name: Cryptic or citriculus mealybug Field Characters: Body oval; slightly rounded in lateral view; pale yellow or greenish yellow; body contents crushed are greenish yellow; 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, becoming progressively longer posteriorly, anterior pair about 1/4 width of body, straight or slightly curved distally, thick, posterior pair longest, varying from 3/4 to 1 time length of body. Primarily occurring on foliage and stems of host. Oviparous, eggs pale yellow. Surface of lateral filaments smooth.
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Validation characters: Dorsal oral rims greatly reduced in number, varying from none to as many as 8; dorsal setae long, almost as long as ventral setae; translucent pores on hind coxa, femur, and tibia; dorsal oral-collar tubular ducts nearly always present near cerarii, sometimes scattered elsewhere; ventral oral-collar tubular ducts few, forming narrow band on thorax and head; without discoidal near eye. Comparison: Pseudococcus cryptus is an unusual member of the genus Pseudococcus by possessing such a small number of dorsal oral-rim tubular ducts; in some cases dorsal oral rims are entirely absent or there may be up to 8 on the entire surface. This species is very similar to P. aurantiacus, but differs by having more than 1 vental oral rim near each spiracle, a few ventral oral rims on the anterior abdominal segments, and a narrow band of oral collars on the margin of the thorax. P. aurantiacus has 1 ventral oral rim near each spiracle, no ventral oral rims on the anterior abdominal segments, and a broad band of oral collars on the margin of the thorax. U.S. quarantine notes: This species is taken at US ports-of-entry on many hosts, the most common is Citrus. It has been recorded from more than 20 different host families. It occurs in all zoogeographical regions except the Nearctic. Quarantined specimens have been recorded from Brazil, China, El Salvador, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Java, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Paraguay, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Western Samoa, andYugoslavia. 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: WilliaGr1992; Willia2004. All references mentioning: Pseudococcus cryptus
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