Pseudococcus viburni
| Pseudococcus viburni | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Family: | Pseudococcidae |
| Genus: | Pseudococcus |
| Species: | P. viburni |
| Binomial name | |
|
Pseudococcus viburni Signoret, 1875 |
|
Pseudococcus viburni (formerly Pseudococcus affinis (Maskell), and commonly known as the obscure mealybug and tuber mealybug) is a close relative of the grape mealybug (P. maritimus) and a pest of the vineyards of New Zealand, the Central Coast of California, and the tea gardens of northern Iran. Unlike the grape mealybug, the obscure mealybug is not native to California, having most likely been introduced to the region from either Australia or South America in the latter part of the 19th century.
The obscure mealybug is thought to have evolved in Australia or South America. Its history in North America is not clear; from 1900 (when P. maritimus, the grape mealybug, was first described) to 1960, the obscure mealybug was variably misidentified as or synonymized with P. maritimus, P. longispinus, P. obscurus Essig, P. capensis Brian, P. malacearum Ferris, and P. affinis (Maskell). This taxonomic confusion has hampered attempts to trace the exact origin of the species, but its presence in both Australia and South America strongly suggests that it is of Gondwanan origin.
Obscure mealybugs exhibit a high degree of sexual dimorphism; females are flightless, larger, and longer-lived than the winged males, who cannot feed and die immediately after mating.
The bodies of nymphal and adult female obscure mealybugs are rectangular, with rounded anterior and posterior ends. Adult females range from 1-5mm in length. Like all mealybugs, the obscure mealybug covers its body in a white, waxy secretion which accumulates in clumps along thin filaments protruding from its exoskeleton. This clumpy secretion lends the mealybug its characteristic mealy appearance.
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Wikipedia