common name: lobate lac scale
scientific name: Paratachardina pseudolobata (=lobata) Kondo & Gullan (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha:Coccoidea: Kerriidae),

Introduction - Description and Biology - The Lac Scale Family - Effects on Host Plants - Host Range - Potential Expansion in Distribution - Pest Management Prospects - Selected References - Versión en Español

Introduction

A species of scale insect new to Florida is potentially one of the most devastating pests of trees and shrubs in the state's history. The lobate lac scale, Paratachardina pseudolobata Kondo & Gullan (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Kerriidae), a scale insect native to India and Sri Lanka, was found for the first time in Florida in August 1999 by personnel of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (DPI) (Hamon 2001). The identification of the species by Avas Hamon of DPI was confirmed by D. R. Miller of the Systematic Entomology Laboratory, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD. This first record was on a hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) in the town of Davie (Broward County). The plant was destroyed by DPI personnel. Plants in the vicinity of this infested hibiscus were inspected without finding P. pseudolobata.

The species was found again in 2000 on a Benjamin fig (Ficus benjamina) in Davie, on cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) in Weston (Broward County), and on cocoplum at two sites in Miami (Miami-Dade County). In 2001, the scale insect species was found on 11 sites in Broward County and six sites in Miami-Dade County. In December 2001, DPI inspectors found P. pseudolobata in Lake Worth (Palm Beach County). As of October 2002, P. pseudolobata has been recorded from sites from Lake Worth on the north to Homestead (Miami-Dade County), a distance of 128 km, and from the coast to 28 km inland. In 1992, specimens of scale insects submitted to DPI from the Bahamas had been identified as P. pseudolabata.

Description and Biology

The mature females of P. pseudolabata are about 1.5-2 mm long, and about the same width. The body has two pairs of prominent lobes. To the practiced eye, this scale insect's x-shaped appearance is discernable, even without magnification. The testa is extremely hard and brittle, glossy and of a dark reddish brown color, but often appears dull and black due to a coating of sooty-mold. The first instars (crawlers) are elongate-oval, deep red, and about 0.4 mm long. The characteristic lobate pattern develops in the second instar. The second instar female presumably molts to the adult female as in otherscale insects. Males of this species have not been observed in Florida.

mature females

crawler

Since the mature females of scale insects are wingless, they play no role in dispersal of populations to occupy new host plants. Scale insects rely mostly on passive dispersal of the crawler stage via air currents. Phoresis (being carried by birds and other animals) may be of some importance in some species. Undoubtedly, movement of infested host plants from one locality to the next is a key factor in spreading scale insect pests in urban areas.

The Lac Scale Family

The species belongs to the lac scale family, Kerriidae, the best-known species of which is the true lac scale insect, Kerria lacca lacca (Kerr). The testa of the true lac scale insect has been utilized for centuries for making shellac and similar products. However, most species of the family, including P. pseudolabata, do not produce any material of known commercial value. The specific scientific name, pseudolabata, refers to the four prominent projections, or lobes, of this scale, and the vernacular name 'lobate lac scale' may be used for this species.

Of the 28 families of Coccoidea recognized by Miller and Ben-Dov (2002), 11 are represented by species native to Florida (Aclerdidae, Asterolecaniidae, Diaspididae, Cerococcidae, Coccidae, Conchaspidae, Eriococcidae, Kermesidae, Margarodidae, Ortheziidae, and Pseucococcidae). No species of Kerriidae is native to Florida and adjacent land areas. The Kerriidae is confined mostly to the tropics, with a minority of species found in low latitude desert areas. Of the 87 described species, 64 are distributed in the eastern hemisphere. Of the species native to the western hemisphere, 13 are reported from South America, six from Mexico (two of which are also reported in the southwestern U.S.), three reported only in the southwestern U.S., and one from Jamaica (Ben-Dove 2002).

Effects on Host Plants

Paratachardina pseudolobata has been found mostly on woody dicotyledonous plants. It infests the woody portions of twigs and small branches and less frequently main stems of usually < 2 cm in diameter, but usually not branches or main stems of > 2 cm in diameter. It has not been observed on foliage.

twigs and small branches

On highly susceptible hosts, the scale insects are crowded, forming a contiguous mass that appears as a dark, lumpy crust. On wax-myrtle (Myrica cerifera), a highly susceptible host, up to 42 mature females have been counted per 1 cm segment of twig. Sooty mold covers the branches, the insects themselves, and occurs in patches on the foliage. Dense infestations are associated with branch dieback of some plant species, and in severe cases, highly infested shrubs and small trees have died. Wax-myrtle is especially prone to become heavily infested and die from the effects of lobate lac scale. Some plant species appear to tolerate dense infestations, but this may be illusory, as the long-term effects of such infestations are not yet known.

sooty mold

wax-myrtle

Host Range

This scale insect has been found on woody dicotyledonous plants, on one coniferous species, viz., southern red cedar, Juniperus silicicola, and on a palm, Phoenix roebelenii. As of October 2002, more than 120 species in 44 families of woody plants have been determined to be hosts of P. pseudolabata in Florida (Tables 1 & 2). These include 39 plant species native to Florida. Most of the exotic host plants are grown as ornamental shrubs or trees, or as fruit trees. Some of these are extremely important in the urban landscape as shade trees, specimen trees, or hedges. Some plant families, notably Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, and Moraceae are especially well represented by species that serve as hosts, but this may be related to their abundance in the landscape or other biases.

Plants at different sites have been exposed to infestations for different periods and infestation levels are highly variable. Differences in susceptibility have not been determined experimentally. However, certain species appear to be highly susceptible, including certain natives, e.g., wax-myrtle, cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco), buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus), strangler-fig (Ficus aurea), myrsine (Myrsine guianensis), red bay (Persea borbonia), and wild-coffee (Psychotria nervosa); popular exotic ornamental plants, e.g., black-olive (Bucida buceras), Indian laurel (Ficus microcarpa), Benjamin fig (F. benjamina); and fruit trees, e.g., lychee (Litchi chinensis), mango (Mangifera indica), and star-fruit (Averrhoa carambola).

mango

Table 1. Lobate lac scale: Host list as of April, 2004

Compiled by F. W. Howard, David McLean, Robert Pemberton, Avas Hamon, Greg Hodges, Susan Halbert, and Jeanette Wofford. Additional contributors: Michael Bromet, John Cannon, Chris and Karolynne Griffiths, Way Hoyt, Andrew Southerland, Nancy Miller, and Laura Tooley.

* indicates species native to Florida.

Acacia auriculiformis Bentham (Fabaceae) - earleaf acacia
Acalypha wilkesiana J. Mueller (Eurphorbiaceae) - copperleaf
*Acer rubrum L. (Aceraceae) - red maple
Annona cherimola Miller X A. squamosa L. (Annonaceae) - atemoya
*Annona glabra L. (Annonaceae) - pond-apple
Annona muricata L. (Annonaceae) - soursop
Annona reticulata L. (Annonaceae) - custard-apple
Annona squamosa L. (Annonaceae) - sugar-apple
Antidesma bunius (L.) K. Sprengel (Euphorbiaceae) - Bignay
*Ardisia escallonioides Schlechtendal & Camisso (Myrsinaceae) - marlberry
Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidaceae) - carambola, starfruit
Avicennia germinans (L.) L. (Verbenaceae) - black mangrove
*Baccharis halimifolia L. (Asteraceae) - saltbush, groundsel-tree
Bauhinia sp. (Fabaceae)
Blighia sapida Konig (Sapindaceae) - akee
Brosimum alicastrum Swartz (Moraceae) - Mayan breadnut, ramón, cacique
Brunfelsia sp. (Solanaceae)
Brunfelsia nitida Bentham (Solanaceae) - lady-of-the-night
Brya ebenus (L.) de Candolle (Fabaceae) - Jamaican raintree, West Indies ebony
Bucida buceras L.(Combretaceae) - black-olive, oxhorn bucida, ucar
*Bumelia celastrina Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth (Sapotaceae) - saffron-plum
*Bursera simaruba (L.) Sargent (Burseraceae) - gumbo-limbo, almácigo
Calliandra haematocephala Hasskarl (Fabaceae) - powderpuff
Calliandra surinamensis (Fabaceae) - pink powderpuff
Callistemon viminalis (Gaertner) Cheel (Myrtaceae) - weeping bottlebrush
Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess‚des (Clusiaceae) - Brazilian beauty-leaf
*Calyptranthes pallens Grisebach (Myrtaceae) - spicewood
*Calyptranthes zuzygium (L.) Swartz (Myrtaceae) - myrtle-of-the-river
Cananga odorata (Lam ) J. D. Hooker & T. Thomson (Annonaceae) - ylang-ylang
*Capparis cynophallophora L. (Capparaceae) - Jamaica caper tree
Casuarina equisetifolia L. (Casuarinaceae) - Australian-pine
*Celtis laevigata Willdenow (Celtidaceae) - sugarberry
Cestrum nocturnum L. (Solanaceae) - night-blooming jessamine
*Chrysobalanus icaco L. (Chrysobalanaceae) - cocoplum
Chrysophyllum cainito L. (Sapotaceae) - star-apple
*Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. (Sapotaceae) - satinleaf
Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume (Lauraceae) - cinnamon
Citrus X paradisi Macfadyen (Rutaceae) - grapefruit
Clausena lansium (Loureiro) Skeels (Rutaceae) - wampi
*Clusia rosea Jacquin (Clusiaceae) - pitch-apple, cupey
*Conocarpus erectus L. (Combretaceae) - buttonwood, mangle botón
Cupaniopsis anacardioides (A. Richard)Radlkofer (Sapindaceae) - carrotwood, tuckeroo
Diospyros digyna Jacquin (Ebenaceae) - black-sapote
*Dipholis salicifolia (L.) Alphonse de Candolle (Sapotaceae) - willow bustic
Dovyalis hebecarpa (G. Gardner ) Warburg (Flacourtiaceae) - Ceylon gooseberry, kitembila
Elaeocarpus sp. (Elaeocarpaceae)
*Eugenia axillaris (Swartz) Willdenow (Myrtaceae) - white-stopper eugenia
Eugenia brasiliensis Lamarck (Myrtaceae) - grumichama
Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) - Surinam-cherry
*Eugenia confusa de Candolle (Myrtaceae) - redberry stopper
*Exothea paniculata (Jussieu) Radlkofer (Sapindaceae) - inkwood
*Ficus aurea Nuttall (Moraceae) - strangler fig
Ficus benjamina L. (Moraceae) - banyan fig
Ficus microcarpa L.f. (Moraceae) - Indian laurel
Ficus nota (Blanco) Merrill (Moraceae) - tibig
Ficus rubiginosa Ventenat (Moraceae) rusty leaf fig
Ficus salicifolia (Vahl) Berg (Moraceae) - willow-leaf fig
Filicium decipiens (Wight & Arnot) Thwaites (Sapindaceae) - Japanese fern-tree
Fortunella japonica (Thunberg) Swingle (Rutaceae) - round kumquat
Garcinia prainiana King (Clusiaceae) - button mangosteen, serapu
Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (Rubiaceae) - gardenia
Grewia occidentalis L. (Tiliaceae) - starflower
Hamelia cuprea Grisebach (Rubiaceae) - Bahamas flame bush
*Hamelia patens Jacquin (Rubiaceae) - firebush
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. (Malvaceae) - hibiscus
*Ilex vomitoria Aiton (Aquifoliaceae) - yaupon holly
Inga affinis de Candolle (Fabaceae) - ingá  doce
Inga edulis Martius (Fabaceae) - guamo
*Juniperus silicicola (Small) Bailey (Cupressacae) - southern red-cedar
*Krugiodendron ferreum (Vahl) Urban (Rhamnaceae) - black ironwood
Lagerstroemia indica L. (Lythraceae) - crape-myrtle
Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Persoon (Lythraceae) - queen's crape-myrtle
Lansium domesticum Corrêa da Serra (Meliaceae) - duku, langsat
Laurus nobilis L. (Lauraceae) - laurel, sweetbay
Leonotis leonurus (L.) R. Brown (Lamiaceae) - lion's-ear
*Licaria triandra (Swartz) Kostermans (Lauraceae) - pepperleaf sweetwood
Litchi chinensis Sonnerat (Sapindaceae) - lychee
*Lysiloma latisiliqua (L.) Bentham (Fabaceae) - wild-tamarind
Lysiloma sabicu Bentham
Macadamia integrifolia Maiden & Betche (Proteaceae) - macadamia nut
Macadamia tetraphylla L. A. S. Johnson (Proteaceae) - macadamia nut
Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae) - mango
*Manilkara jaimiqui (C. Wright) Dubard ssp. Emarginata (L.) Cronquist (Sapotaceae) - wild-dilly
Manilkara zapota (L.) Van Royen (Sapotaceae) - sapodilla, níspero
*Mastichodendron foetidissimum (Jacquin) H. J. Lam (Sapotaceae) - false-mastic
Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cavanilles) S.T. Blake (Myrtaceae) - cajeput
Melaleuca decora (Salisbury) Britten (Myrtaceae) white feather, honeymyrtle, paperbark, sweet tea-tree.
Melicocca bijuga L. (Sapindaceae) - Spanish-lime, mamoncillo
Michelia champaca L. (Magnoliaceae) - champaka
Mimusops elengi L. (Sapotaceae) - Spanish-cherry
Mussaenda erythrophylla Schumacher & Thonning (Rubiaceae)
Myrciaria cauliflora (de Candolle) O. Berg in Martius (Myrtaceae) - jaboticaba
*Myrica cerifera L. (Myricaceae) - wax-myrtle, southern bayberry
*Myrsine guianensis (Aublet) Kuntze (Myrsinaceae) - myrsine, rapanea
*Nectandra coriacea (Swartz) Grisebach (Lauraceae) - lancewood
Ocimum sp. (Lamiaceae) - Thai basil
Pachystachys lutea Nees (Acanthaceae) - golden shrimp plant
*Parthenocissus quinqefolia (L.) Planchon (Vitaceae) - Virginia-creeper
Peltophorum pterocarpum (de Candolle) K. Heyne (Fabaceae) - copperpod
Persea americana Miller (Lauraceae) - avocado
*Persea borbonia (L.) Sprengel (Lauraceae) - red bay
Petrea volubilis Jaquin (Verbenaceae) - queen's wreath
Phoenix roebelenii O'Brien (Palmae)- miniature date palm
Pimenta dioica (L.) Merrill (Myrtaceae) - allspice
Pimenta racemosa (Miller) J. W. Moore (Myrtaceae) - bay rum
Pithecellobium flexicaule (Bentham) J.M. Coulter (Fabaceae) - Texas ebony
Polygala cowellii (Britton) Blake (Polygalaceae) - violet-tree
Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre (Fabaceae) - Pongam
Psidium littorale Raddi (Myrtaceae) - strawberry guava, cattley guava
*Psychotria ligustrifolia (Northrop) Millspaugh (Rubiaceae) - wild-coffee
*Psychotria nervosa Swartz (Rubiaceae) - wild-coffee
*Quercus geminata Small (Fagaceae) - sand live oak
*Quercus laurifolia Michaux (Fagaceae) - laurel oak
*Quercus virginiana Miller (Fagaceae) - live oak
Rheedia aristata Grisebach (Clusiaceae) - manajú
Rheedia sp.
Rhizophora mangle (L.) (Rhizophoraceae) - red mangrove
Ruellia sp. (Acanthaceae)
Rondeletia leucophylla Kunth (Rubiaceae)
Rosa sp. (Roseaceae) - rose
*Salix caroliniana Michaux (Salicaceae) - coastal plains willow
Samanea saman (Jacquin) Merrill (Fabaceae) - samán
Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae) - Brazilian-pepper
Synsepalum dulcificum Schumacher & Thonning (Sapotaceae) - miracle fruit
Syzigium cuminii (L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae) - jambolan, java-plum
Syzigium paniculatum Gaertner (Myrtaceae)
Terminalia muelleri Bentham (Combretaceae)
Terminalia catappa L. (Combretaceae) - tropical-almond
*Trema micrantha (L.) Blume (Celtidaceae) - Florida trema, guacimilla

Table 2. Lobate lac scale: Host list by family as of April, 2004

Compiled by F. W. Howard, David McLean, Robert Pemberton, Avas Hamon, Greg Hodges, Susan Halbert, and Jeanette Wofford. Additional contributors: Michael Bromet, John Cannon, Chris and Karolynne Griffiths, Way Hoyt, Andrew Southerland, Nancy Miller, and Laura Tooley.

* indicates species native to Florida.

Acanthaceae
Pachystachys lutea Nees - golden shrimp plant
Ruellia sp.

Aceraceae
*Acer rubrum L. - red maple

Aquifoliaceae
*Ilex vomitoria Aiton - yaupon holly

Anacardiaceae
Mangifera indica L.- mango
Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi - Brazilian-pepper

Annonaceae
Annona cherimola Miller X A. squamosa L.- atemoya
*Annona glabra L. - pond-apple
Annona muricata L. - soursop
Annona reticulata L.- custard-apple
Annona squamosa L. - sugar-apple
Cananga odorata (Lamarck ) J. D. Hooker & T. Thomson - ylang-ylang

Asteraceae
*Baccharis halimifolia L. - saltbush, groundsel-tree

Burseraceae
*Bursera simaruba (L.) Sargent - gumbo-limbo, almácigo

Capparaceae
*Capparis cynophallophora L. - Jamaica caper tree

Casuarinaceae
Casuarina equisetifolia L. - Australian-pine

Celtidaceae
*Celtis laevigata Willdenow - sugarberry
*Trema micranthum (L.) Blume - Florida trema, guacimilla

Chrysobalanaceae
*Chrysobalanus icaco L. - cocoplum

Clusiaceae
Calophylum brasiliense Cambessédes - Brazilian beauty-leaf
*Clusia rosea Jacquin - pitch-apple, cupey
Garcinia prainiana King - button mangosteen, serapu
Rheedia aristata Grisebach - manajú
Rheedia sp.

Combretaceae
Bucida buceras L.- black-olive, oxhorn bucida, ucar
*Conocarpus erectus L. - buttonwood, mangle botón
Terminalia muelleri Bentham
Terminalia catappa L. - tropical-almond

Cupressaceae
*Juniperus silicicola (Small) Bailey - southern red cedar

Ebenaceae
Diospyros digyna Jacquin - black-sapote

Elaeocarpaceae
Elaeocarpus sp.

Euphorbiaceae
Acalypha wilkesiana J. Mueller - copperleaf
Antidesma bunius (L.) K. Sprengel - Bignay

Fabaceae
Acacia auriculiformis Bentham
Bauhinia sp.
Brya ebenus (L.) de Candolle - Jamaican raintree, West Indies ebony
Calliandra haematocephala Hasskarl - powderpuff
Calliandra surinamensis Bentham - pink powderpuff
Inga affinis de Candolle - ingá doce
Inga edulis (Martius) - guamo
*Lysiloma latisiliqua (L.) Bentham - wild-tamarind
Lysiloma sabicu Bentham
Peltophorum pterocarpum (de Candolle) K. Heyne - copperpod
Pithecellobium flexicaule (Bentham) J.M. Coulter - Texas ebony
Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre - Pongam
Samanea saman (Jacquin) Merrill - rain tree

Fagaceae
*Quercus geminata Small - sand live oak
*Quercus laurifolia Michaux - laurel oak
*Quercus virginiana Miller - live oak

Flacourtiaceae
Dovyalis hebecarpa (G. Gardner) Warburg - Ceylon gooseberry, kitembila

Lamiaceae
Leonotis leonurus (L.) R. Brown - lion's-ear
Ocimum sp. - Thai basil

Lauraceae
Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume - cinnamon
Laurus nobilis L. - laurel, sweetbay
*Licaria triandra (Swartz) Kostermans - pepperleaf sweetwood
*Nectandria coriacea (Swartz) Grisebach - lancewood
Persea americana Miller - avocado
*Persea borbonia (L.) Sprengel - red bay

Lythraceae
Lagerstroemia indica L. - crape-myrtle
Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Persoon (Lythraceae) - queen's crape-myrtle

Magnoliaceae
Michelia champaca L. - champaka (Malaysia)

Malvaceae
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. - hibiscus

Meliaceae
Lansium domesticum Corrêa da Serra - duku, langsat

Moraceae
Brosimum alicastrum Swartz - Mayan breadnut, ramón, cacique
*Ficus aurea Nuttall - strangler fig
Ficus benjamina L. - banyan fig
Ficus microcarpa L.f. - Indian laurel
Ficus nota (Blanco) Merrill - tibig
Ficus rubiginosa Desfontaines ex Ventenat - rusty leaf fig
Ficus salicifolia (Vahl) Berg - willow-leaf fig

Myrsinaceae
*Ardisia escallonioides Chamisso & Schlechtendal - marlberry
*Myrsine guianensis (Aublet) Kuntze - myrsine, rapanea

Myricaceae
*Myrica cerifera L. - wax-myrtle

Myrtaceae
Callistemon viminalis (Gaertner) Cheel - weeping bottlebrush
*Calyptranthes pallens Grisebach - spicewood
*Calyptranthes zuzygium (L.) Swartz - myrtle-of-the-river
*Eugenia axillaris (Swartz) Willdenow - white-stopper eugenia
Eugenia brasiliensis Lamarck - grumichama
*Eugenia confusa de Candolle - redberry stopper
Eugenia uniflora L. - Surinam-cherry
Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cavanilles) S.T. Blake - cajeput
Melaleuca decora (Salisbury) Britten - white feather honeymyrtle, paperbark, sweet tea-tree
Myrciaria cauliflora (de Candolle) O. Berg in Martius - jaboticaba
Pimenta dioica (L.) Merrill - allspice
Pimenta racemosa (Miller) J. W. Moore - bay rum
Psidium littorale Raddi - strawberry guava, cattley guava
Syzigium cuminii (L.) Skeels - jambolan
Syzigium paniculatum - Gaertner

Oxalidaceae
Averrhoa carambola L. - carambola, starfruit

Palmae
Phoenix roebelenii O'Brien - miniature date palm

Polygalaceae
Polygala cowellii (Britton) Blake - violet-tree

Proteaceae
Macadamia integrifolia Maiden & Betche - macadamia nut
Macadamia tetraphylla L. A. S. Johnson - macadamia nut

Rhamnaceae
*Krugiodendron ferreum (Vahl) Urban - black ironwood

Rhizophoraceae
Rhizophora mangle (L.) - red mangrove

Roseaceae
Rosa sp. - rose

Rubiaceae
Gardenia jasminoides Ellis - gardenia
Hamelia cuprea Grisebach - Bahamas flame bush
*Hamelia patens Jacquin - firebush
Mussaenda erythrophylla Schumacher & Thonning
*Psychotria ligustrifolia (Northrup) Millspaugh - wild-coffee
*Psychotria nervosa Swartz - wild-coffee
Rondeletia leucophylla Kunth

Rutaceae
Citrus X paradisi Macfadyen - grapefruit
Clausena lansium (Loureiro) Skeels - wampi
Fortunella japonica (Thunberg) Swingle - round kumquat

Salicaceae
*Salix caroliniana Michaux - coastal plains willow

Sapindaceae
Blighia sapida Konig - akee
Cupaniopsis anacardioides (A. Richard) Radlkofer - carrotwood, tuckeroo
*Exothea paniculata (Jussieu) Radlkofer - inkwood
Filicium decipiens (Wight & Arnott) Thwaites - Japanese fern-tree
Litchi chinensis Sonnerat - lychee
Melicocca bijuga L. - Spanish-lime, mamoncillo

Sapotaceae
*Bumelia celastrina Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth - saffron-plum
Chrysophyllum cainito L. - star-apple
*Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. - satinleaf
*Dipholis salicifolia (L.) Alphonse de Candolle - willow bustic
*Manilkara jaimiqui (C. Wright) Dubard ssp. Emarginata (L.) Cronquist - wild-dilly
Manilkara zapota (L.) Van Royen ) - sapodilla, nispero
*Mastichodendron foetidissimum (Jacquin) H. J. Lam - false-mastic
Mimusops elengi L. - Spanish-cherry
Synsepalum dulcificum Schumacher & Thonning - miracle fruit

Solanaceae
Brunfelsia sp.
Brunfelsia nitida Bentham - lady-of-the-night
Cestrum nocturnum L. - night-blooming jessamine

Tiliaceae
Grewia occidentalis L. - starflower

Verbenaceae
Avicennia germinans (L.) L. (Verbenaceae) - black mangrove
Petrea volubilis Jaquin - queen's wreath

Vitaceae
*Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planchon - Virginia-creeper

Potential Expansion in Distribution

The potential for further spread of this scale insect in the western hemisphere is especially high for warm areas into which there is significant movement of living plants from Florida, e.g., Puerto Rico and other localities of the Caribbean Region, California, and Hawaii.

Invasion of natural areas is of paramount concern. A cursory examination in several tropical hardwood hammocks in Broward County revealed that there were heavy infestations on diverse species over large areas. The presence of heavy infestations 28 km inland, i.e., virtually at the eastern edge of the Everglades, implies that vegetation in this vast natural area is threatened. Most of the native host plants of P. pseudolabata identified in Florida are also distributed in the Caribbean Region, and if the insect were to be introduced into Puerto Rico or other Caribbean countries, natural areas there would likewise be threatened.

Pest Management Prospects

Virtually nothing has been published on the biology or control of this species. It has rapidly become a major pest in southeastern Florida, and it is urgent to initiate research on it. We have seen no evidence that this scale insect species has natural enemies in Florida.

Unpublished results of an experiment conducted at the University of Florida Fort Lauderdale Research & Education Center were that a root drench with the systemic insecticide imidacloprid effectively controlled P. pseudolabata infesting large Benjamin fig trees. Further studies are being conducted to refine this method, and to test horticultural oils and additional chemical control methods. Because it is predicted that a very large percentage of trees and shrubs in both the urban and natural areas of Florida will become infested with this scale insect, we are investigating biological control as the only viable option for control in the long term.

Selected References

Authors: F. W. Howard, University of Florida; Robert Pemberton, USDA; Avas Hamon, Division of Plant Industry; Greg S. Hodges, Division of Plant Industry; Bryan Steinberg, University of Florida; Catharine M. Mannion, University of Florida; David McLean, Broward Community College and Nova Southeastern University; Jeanette Wofford, Cooper City Arborist
Photographs: F. W. Howard, University of Florida
Project Coordinator: Thomas R. Fasulo, University of Florida
Publication Number: EENY-276
Publication Date: November 2002. Latest revision: February 2008.
Copyright 2002-2008 University of Florida

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Department of Entomology and Nematology
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