|
December 2013. A mealybug with ovisacs heavily infesting eggplant in a field on Guam. Can it be identified?
It is posted at: http://guaminsects.myspecies.info/node/2623.
A member said that Phenacoccus solenopsis infests eggplant in Queensland and this is a possibility. It has been recorded on eggplant, hibiscus, tomato, cucurbits and several weeds. A fact sheet has been written.
However, another member said that the dark pigment is in the wrong positions on the body for P. solenopsis, which is already recorded in Guam. Later, the same person recognized the pigmentation pattern, and suspected that the mealybug was Coccidohystrix insolita(Green), but a study of slide-mounted material would be necessary to confirm the identification.
According to the literature, in the Pacific region C. insolitahas only been recorded from Western Samoa before, so it may be a new introduction to Guam. More information about this species is available at:
http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/catalogs/pseudoco/Coccidohystrixinsolita.htm.
|
