Paratachardina pseudolobata

Paratachardina pseudolobata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
Superfamily: Coccoidea
Family: Kerriidae
Genus: Paratachardina
Species: P. pseudolobata
Binomial name
Paratachardina pseudolobata
Kondo & Gullan

Paratachardina pseudolobata, the lobate lac scale, is a polyphagous and pestiferous lac scale insect, which damages trees and woody shrubs in Cuba, Florida, the Bahamas and the Australian territory of Christmas Island. It was mistakenly identified as Paratachardina lobata (Chamberlin), an insect native to India and Sri Lanka, but has recently been recognized and named as a distinct species. The new lac insect was described based on all stages of the female (adult, second-instar nymph and first-instar nymph. The genus Paratachardina (Balachowsky) was revised and all its known species were redescribed.

Biology

The lobate lac insect is known to feed on more than 300 plant species.[1] It reproduces parthenogenetically, in contrast with the morphologically similar P. lobata, which reproduces sexually.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Howard et al. Lobate lac scale, Paratachardina pseudolobata Kondo & Gullan. Featured Creatures. 2008. Last accessed 2008-12-19

References