Species: Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret) - Catalog

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Common name: Obscure mealybug

Field Characters: Body oval; slightly rounded in lateral view; pink or light purple; mealy wax covering usually thin enough so that body color shows through; without longitudinal line on dorsum; ovisac encloses all but head of female; with 17 lateral wax filaments, becoming progressively longer posteriorly, anterior pair about 1/8 width of body, straight, unusually thin, posterior pair longest, varying from 1/4 to 1/2 length of body. Occurring on most parts of host including main roots, fruit, leaves, stems, and under bark. Oviparous, eggs yellow. Surface of lateral filaments smooth.

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Validation characters: Ventral oral-collar tubular ducts in clusters between antennae and laterad of front coxae, absent or with fewer than 3 ducts laterad of middle coxae; with few dorsal oral-rim tubular ducts on abdomen (with an average of 13 and a range of 10 to 18); without oral-rim tubular duct on dorsum between cerarius 15 and 16; with dorsal oral-rim tubular duct near frontal cerarius; with an average of 2 and range of 1 to 3 discoidal pores associated with eye, not set in a sclerotized rim; translucent pores on hind femur and tibia.

Comparison: Pseudococcus viburni has been confused with P. maritimus by having discoidal pores near the eye, translucent pores on the hind femur and tibia, and ventral multilocular pores on most abdominal segments. Pseudococcus viburni differs by lacking an oral-rim tubular duct between cerarii 15 and 16; an average of 13 and range of 10 to 18 dorsal oral-rim tubular ducts on abdomen; less than 3 ventral oral collars laterad of middle coxa. Pseudococcus maritimus has a dorsal oral-rim tubular duct between cerarii 15 and 16; an average of 27 and range of 19 to 35 dorsal oral-rim tubular ducts on abdomen; an average of 14 and a range of 6 to 20 ventral oral collars laterad of middle coxa.

U.S. quarantine notes: This species is often taken on cactus but also occurs on a wide variety of other hosts plants including nearly 90 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: GimpelMi1996, MillerGiWi1984, WilliaGr1992, Willia2004.

All references mentioning: Pseudococcus viburni


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