Towards identification of the scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) of continental Africa: 2. Checklists and keys to six archaeococcoid families
Author
Watson, Gillian W.
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-03-04
5105
3
301
356
journal article
20341
10.11646/zootaxa.5105.3.1
797fca93-60bf-40ce-bb55-e5cb695f6356
1175-5326
6332761
187B04D7-4C35-4E27-9B2D-A616BF59F380
Genus
Insignorthezia
Kozár
Insignorthezia
is a Neotropical genus of ten species. Only
Insignorthezia insignis
(
Fig. 23
) has spread to many other parts of the tropics, including Africa (
García Morales
et al
. 2016
). When it was accidentally introduced to Hawai’i, initially it was regarded as a potential biological control agent for invasive
Lantana camara
(
Bartlett 1978
)
; however, the species is polyphagous, and the sooty mould associated with infestations can be an unsightly problem on ornamental shrubs and fruit trees.
Insignorthezia insignis
became a serious pest of coffee and ornamental trees and shrubs in
Kenya
so the Mexican predator
Hyperaspis jocosa
(Mulsant)
(
Coleoptera
;
Coccinellidae
) was successfully introduced as a biological control agent (
Bartlett 1978
). In life,
I. insignis
has patches of bare dark green cuticle on the dorsum. The only other ortheziid known to feed on aerial plant parts in Africa is
Praelongorthezia praelonga
(
Fig. 25
), which in life has the dorsum completely covered in white wax plates (
Kondo
et al.
2013
).