Diario de susanhewitt

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Over the last year or two I have become interested in plant pests and pathogens. In particular I have found scale insects (Superfamily Coccoidea) to be very bizarre and fascinating creatures.

When you come across scale insects, the ones you notice (the adult females) often do not look like insects at all; many of them just look like small bumps on plants: brown bumps, white bumps, red bumps.

Scale insects are external parasites that suck juice from the host plant. The adult females are cemented down in place, with a hard or soft cover on top of them. The larvae or "crawlers" move around to find a new place for themselves. The adult males are minute winged creatures -- none which I have seen yet.

Many species of scale insects are species-specific, meaning they only live on one species of plant, although a few can be found on more than one genus or even more than one family of host plants.

Here is a list (with links) to the scale insects (and mealybugs) that I have seen so far. Mealybugs are in the same superfamily as the scale insects, but they have legs and can move around.

Many of my earlier observations need an ID for the plant host, and the insect ID is probably incorrect on some of them. I will be grateful to anyone who can assist me with IDing these.

Also, if you know there is a scale insect species which lives (outdoors, not in a greenhouse) here in Manhattan, a species that I have not yet seen, please do tell me. I am very interested to see more of these odd little creatures. :)
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SCALE INSECTS

Elongate Hemlock Scale, Fiorinia externa, on Eastern Hemlock, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39173775

Genus Aonidiella, on a ?Euonymus, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53761460
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39060623

Pine Needle Scale, Chionapsis pinifoliae, on Pinus rigida, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38776033

White Prunicola Scale, Pseudaulacapsis prunicola on Cherry Laurel, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37621931

Euonymus Scale, Unapsis euonymi, on Japanese Euonymus, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37412841

Indian Wax Scale, Ceroplastes ceriferus, on Flowering Quince, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37037457

Scale Insect on a palm tree (palm needs ID) in Sanibel , Florida, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36806890

Cottony Camellia Scale, Pulvinaria floccifera, on Taxus, Yew bushes, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34642516

Pyriform Scale, Protopulvinaria pyriformis, on an evergreen dicot in San Diego County, California
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34089359

Pyriform Scale, Protopulvinaria pyriformis, on a dicot in San Diego County, California
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/17145981

Prickly Pear Scale, Diapsis echinocacti on Opuntia in San Diego County, California
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34050571

Iceplant Scale, Pulvinariella mesembryanthemi, on Sea Fig in San Diego County, California
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33511558

European Fruit Scale, Parthenolecanium corni, on some species of cherry tree, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/28835877

Yew Scale, Parthenolecanium pomericanum, on Taxus, a yew bush, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27396495

Cottony Maple Leaf Scale, Pulvinaria acerticola, on a Little Leaf Linde, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/25679546

Florida Wax Scale, Ceroplastes floridensis on English Holly, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19232442

Scale insects on dicot in San Diego County, California
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/17176025

Ceroplastes on dicot in San Diego County, California
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/17175993

Scale insects on Pelargonium, San Diego County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/17145910

Scale insect on dicot, San Diego County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/17144992

Sycamore Scale, Stomacoccus platani, San Diego County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16972832

Florida Wax Scale, Ceroplastes floridensis on Flowering Dogwood, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12448984

Some sort of scale insect (not fern scale) on Purple-stem Cliffbrake, NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/54797364
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MEALYBUGS

? Mealybugs on salt grass in San Diego County, California
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/17298482

? Mealybugs on Gale of the Wind plant on Nevis, West Indies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/22702949

? Mealybugs on legume plant on Nevis, West Indies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21397522

? Mealybugs on dicot, Nevis, West Indies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11502730

? Mealybugs on Allspice, Pimenta dioica, Nevis, West Indies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11297908

? Mealybugs on dicot, Nevis, West Indies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11184088

? Mealybugs on dicot, Nevis, West Indies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11073908

? Mealybugs on Hyssop Spurge -- Euphorbia hyssopifolia, Nevis, West Indies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11010552

? Mealybugs on dicot, Nevis, West Indies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10966566