Aonidiella orientalis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aonidiella orientalis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Sternorrhyncha |
| Family: | Diaspididae |
| Genus: | Aonidiella |
| Species: | A. orientalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Aonidiella orientalis (Newstead, 1894) | |
Aonidiella orientalis is a species of insect in the family Diaspididae, the armored scale insects. It is known commonly as the Oriental yellow scale.[1] It is an agricultural pest on a wide variety of crop plants.[1]
This is a scale insect, a tiny insect which is most easily identified by the female, which attaches itself to a host plant, loses its legs, and remains stationary covered by a somewhat rounded scale-like shield of wax. In this species, the female forms a flat, circular scale which is white, brown, or yellow in color.[1] It is up to 2.6 millimeters long.[2] The insect within is no more than 1.4 millimeters long.[1] The winged male of this species also produces a scale.[2]
Distribution
This species is likely native to Asia. It can be found nearly worldwide today because it has been introduced to many areas with shipments of plants and then began a slow spread. It is common in many tropical and subtropical areas, and it can survive in greenhouses in cooler regions. It is not known from Europe.[2] Some ports check for this and other scales in quarantined plant shipments.[1]
Biology
The female attaches to the surface of a plant, forms a waxy shield, and lays eggs beneath it.[1] They are often viviparous, producing live young instead of laying eggs.[2] The larvae emerge and leave the shield; at this point they are called "crawlers". They roam the plant, feeding on sap by inserting their stylets. Males reach the adult stage at about 19 days. Females reach adulthood and yield the next generation of larvae at about 44 days.[1] Males have wings but no mouthparts, and they do not feed.[1] There are about three to five generations per year, depending on conditions.[2]