November 2012. Soft scales on Murraya Koenigii from Sydney, Australia. The scales are about 6 mm long, fat and common.

There was a suggestion of Cottony cushion scale Icerya purchasi, but no, they are Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Coccidae: probably genus Pulvinaria. The white area is an ovisac of sticky wax fibres enclosing numerous eggs; the brown object is the shrivelled-up remains of the old adult female. Specialist examination of good quality slide mounts of the adult females is necessary to identify further. Pulvinariaare difficult to identify to species level unless the adult female is in very good condition.

On Scalenet (http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/scalenet/scalenet.htm) there are only two Pulvinaria on Murrayaand only one of them, P. polygonata, is recorded as present in Australia.