Scale insects & mealybugs (Hemiptera, Coccoidea)

Discussion

JackieMiles wrote:

8 Feb 2020

An interesting find. This is a wingless female. They creep around on plant stems sucking the sap, and the ants would be waiting for her to produce a sugary secretion that they then feed on, the same as they do with scale insects, to which mealybugs are related. In fact you can see the clear drops of sugary liquid at the bottom end of this animal.

Monophlebulus sp. (genus)

PaulWhitington wrote:

2 Dec 2019

Wouldn't it be safer to leave this one at the genus level? - given the statement in the idtools.org document that it resembles another species and that the differences they describe between the two appear subtle.

Ceroplastes sp.

JackieMiles wrote:

19 Nov 2019

Yep, sounds like it is not all fussy. I have a vague recollection of seeing it on our citrus occasionally. I think if you crush it, your fingers get stained red. I didn't like the statement about needing a specialist to identify it, although the photos of sinensis in the NZ reference looked a better match to yours than did those of destructor. Not sure what the other options are.

Ceroplastes sp.

HarveyPerkins wrote:

19 Nov 2019

It's amazing what you can find out when you've got a name! I found the info at these two links very interesting.
https://nzacfactsheets.landcareresearch.co.nz/factsheet/InterestingInsects/Chinese-wax-scale---Ceroplastes-sinensis.html and
http://idtools.org/id/scales/factsheet.php?name=6880
This scale is clearly very widespread and feeds on a very wide range of plants (from 50+ families), but neither of these links suggests what its natural pre-globalisation range might have been - but given the name, presumably eastern Asia.

Ceroplastes sp.

HarveyPerkins wrote:

19 Nov 2019

Yes - it was on a young sapling at the very edge of the large patch of Melaleuca ericifolia.

Ceroplastes sp.