Species: Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti) - Catalog

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Common name: Longtailed mealybug Field Characters: Body oval; slightly rounded in lateral view; body color variable from light yellow to gray, pink, or light purple; mealy wax covering body, thin enough so that body color shows through; with 3 longitudinal lines on dorsum, with single, broad dorsomedial line, with 2, thin submarginal lines; ovisac absent, sometimes with a few waxy strands under body; with 17 lateral wax filaments, with exception of posterior 2 pairs all about same size, about 1/2 as wide as body, posterior pairs conspicuously longer than others, posterior pair as long as or longer than body, next pair about half as long as posterior pair. Primarily occurring on foliage of host. Usually ovoviviparous, rarely producting eggs which hatch soon after being laid, eggs yellow. Surface of lateral filaments rough.
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Validation characters: More than 1 dorsal oral-rim tubular duct near most abdominal cerarii; ventral multilocular pores restricted to segments VIII and VII; penultimate and anal lobe cerarii with conspicuous basal sclerotization; ventral oral-collar tubular ducts absent or uncommon in marginal areas of thorax and head; 17 pairs of cerarii; auxiliary setae present in cerarii; without discoidal pores near eye. Comparison: Pseudococcus longispinus is similar to P. microadonidum Beardsley and P. marshallensis Beardsley by having more than 1 dorsal oral-rim tubular duct near most abdominal cerarii and having the ventral multilocular pores confined to the vulvar area. Pseudococcus longispinus differs by having the penultimate cerarius heavily sclerotized and more than 65 µ in diameter, whereas P. microadonidum and P. marshallensis have the penultimate cerarius less sclerotized and less than 50 µ in diameter. U.S. quarantine notes: This species is commonly taken on a wide variety of hosts plants including nearly 100 host families. It is intercepted at US ports-of-entry from nearly any area of the world since it occurs outdoors in warm areas and in greenhouses and indoor landscapes in cooler areas. 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: McKenzie1967, WilliaGr1992, Willia2004. All references mentioning: Pseudococcus longispinus
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