Melanaspis glomerata
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| Melanaspis glomerata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Sternorrhyncha |
| Family: | Diaspididae |
| Subtribe: | Aspidiotina |
| Genus: | Melanaspis |
| Species: | M. glomerata |
| Binomial name | |
| Melanaspis glomerata (Green, 1903) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Melanaspis glomerata, the sugarcane scale[2] or black scale, is a species of armoured scale insect in the family Diaspididae.[1] It is native to the Indian subcontinent where it is a serious pest of sugarcane.
When first hatched, the nymphs are known as "crawlers" and move to other parts of the plant, particularly the young growth beneath the leaf sheaths. This is the only life cycle stage that is mobile because other stages pierce the plant tissues with their mouthparts and remain in one place. Female insects are roughly circular, the soft body being concealed under a slightly convex, greyish-brown or blackish test or scale. Male insects have a smaller, more oval test.[3]