Species: Vryburgia amaryllidis (Bouche) - Catalog

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Common name: Lily bulb mealybug

Field Characters: Body elongate oval, sometimes quite large (up to 4mm); slightly rounded in lateral view; body light to dark purple; ostiole secretion clear or light yellow; legs pale; mealy wax thin, allowing body color through; without longitudinal bare areas on dorsum; ovisac large, covering body of female; with 2 pairs of caudal wax filaments, posterior pair longer and broader than anterior pair, conical about 3 or 4 times longer than anterior pair, posterior pair about 1/8 length of body. Occurring at bases of leaves of Haworthia and aloe and similar hosts; also on the roots and bulbs of other liliaceous host. Oviparous, eggs pink. Surface of lateral filaments rough.

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Validation characters: Oral-rim tubular ducts abundant on dorsum and on venter near body margin; cerarii restricted to posterior 2 abdominal segments; dorsal oral-collar tubular ducts abundant on abdomen; ventral oral-collar tubular ducts in clusters on head, and laterad of front and middle legs; circulus absent; translucent pores on hind femur and tibia.

Comparison: Vryburgia amaryllidis is similar to V. brevicruris McKenzie by having 2 pairs of cerarii, dorsal oral-rim tubular ducts, clusters of ventral oral-collar tubular ducts laterad of front and middle coxa, dorsal oral-collar tubular ducts. Vryburgia amaryllidis differs by lacking dorsal multilocular pores which are present on V. brevicruris.

U.S. quarantine notes: This species is commonly taken in quarantine on succulents from Europe. We have examined material intercepted at US ports of entry from Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands, on Amaryllis, Crassula, Cyranthus, Haemanthus, Haworthia, and Trichocaulon). Several species of Vryburgia other than V. amaryllidis have been taken at US ports-of-entry including: V. pretiosa Ferris (Burma, China, Cuba, and the Philippines on bamboo), V. trionymoides (DeLotto) (South Africa on Euphorbia), and V. viator (DeLotto) (South Africa on Brachystelma).

References: McKenz1967; Cox1987.

All references mentioning: Vryburgia amaryllidis

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