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Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2014; 2 (2): 185-188 ISSN 2320-7078 JEZS 2014; 2 (2): 185-188 © 2014 JEZS Received: 05-04-2014 Accepted: 07-05-2014 Soad I. Abdel-Razak Scale insects and Mealybugs Department, Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Sabahia, Baccous, P.O Box 21616, Alexandria, Egypt. Suzan A. Badr Scale insects and Mealybugs Department, Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Sabahia, Baccous, P.O Box 21616, Alexandria, Egypt. Hedaya H. Karam Dept. of Applied Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Egypt. Correspondence: Soad I. Abdel-Razak Scale insects and Mealybugs, Department, Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Sabahia, Baccous, P.O Box 21616, Alexandria, Egypt.

The identity of the cottony camellia scale, Pulvinaria floccifera (Westwood) (Coccidae:

Pulvinariini) in Egypt.

Soad I. Abdel-Razak, Suzan A. Badr, Hedaya H. Karam ABSTRACT This study was to clarify identity of the cottony camellia scale insect, Pulvinaria floccifera (Westwood, 1870) in Egypt. All mounted slides of P. floccifera presented in Plant Protection Research Institute’s scale insects collection, Ministry of Agriculture, Cairo, Egypt were examined and compared with P. urbicola which has been recently recorded for the first time by Abdel-Razak (2012). Our findings indicate that the 14 adult females, P. floccifera, identified by Ezzat and Hussein (1967) is a misidentification of P. urbicola Cockerell, 1893. Some diagnostic characteristics of the adult females of the two species may help in the future identification of soft scale insect. Moreover, it could lead to find a better way for controlling scale insects indoor and outdoor.

Keywords: Coccidae, Hemiptera, Egypt, Pulvinaria urbicola, Pulvinaria floccifera. 1. Introduction Pulvinaria floccifera (Westwood), is a cosmopolitan species known from the Afrotropical, Australasian, Nearctic, Neotropical, Oriental, and Palaearctic regions (Ben-Dov, 2014) [3]. Tanaka and Amano (2007) [4] redescribed Pulvinaria floccifera based on the syntypes of the species. They stated that, the description in several previous taxonomic accounts of P. floccifera is based on non-type materials and suggested that more than one Pulvinaria species have become mixed under the name P. floccifera. IMPORTANT According to the updating list of scale insects of Egypt (Mohammad and Ghabbour, 2008) [5], genus Pulvinaria Targioni Tozzetti, 1866, is represented by four species, i.e. P. chrysanthemi Hall, P. floccifera (Westwood), P. psidii Maskell and P. tenuivalvata (Newstead). Abdel-Razak (2012) [1] added P. urbicola as a new record in Egypt. The latter species is similar to P. floccifera in appearance and to some extent in the morphological characters, except the absence of submarginal tubercles, which is a very important character that can be used to separate Pulivinaria species. Moreover Ezzat and Hussien (1967) [2] redescribed P. floccifera based on specimens identified by the British Museum (BMNH). Although they were confused because of the lacking of the submarginal tubercles in all the specimens, they left the floor open for further scientific discussion. Therefore the aim of this study is to clarify the confused identification between those two species P. floccifera and P. urbicola in Egypt. 2. Materials examined 17♀♀ collected from Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria, Egypt, 2012, host: Withania somniflora (Solanacae). Collectors, Soad I. Abdel-Razak and Hedaya H. Karam. 8 ♀♀, collected from King Fouad Greenhouse, ElMontazah garden, Alexandria, Egypt, II. 2009, host: Sanchezia speciosa. S. I. Abdel-Razak coll., Identified by G. W. Watson, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, California, U.S.A.; 3 ♀♀ Experimental Farm of Agricultural Research center, Alex. Egypt, XII. 2008, host: Cordia sp. S. I. Abdel-Razak coll., Identified by G. W. Watson; 2 ♀♀ Experimental Farm of Agricultural Research center, Alex. Egypt, VII. 2009, host: Psidum guajava S. I. Abdel-Razak coll, identified by G. W. Watson. 3 ♀♀ MNHN, Paris, France no. 10126.1-3 from Guadeloupe on Coccoloba uvifera.

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Fourteen specimens from the Coccid collection of the Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt (MAE) were described by Ezzat and Hussein, 1967 as P. floccifera were examined. They are labeled as follows: 4 ♀♀ specimens from Chenopodium alum, Old Cairo, November 19, 1923; 2 ♀♀ specimens from Ficus sp., Sembellawin, October 28, 1929; 5 ♀♀ specimens, from guava, Meadi, March 9, 1939; 3♀♀ specimens from guava, Dikernes, September 17, 1940. 3. Comments At the time of the extensive study on the classification of Family Coccidae in Egypt by Ezzat and Hussein (1967) [2] there were only two recorded species of the genus Pulvinaria; P. chrysanthemi Hall and P. floccifera (Westwood). They examined 14 ♀♀ specimens from the collection of the Plant protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture El Dokki, Cairo. They mentioned in their redescription that the submarginal tubercles are absent and gave a note that two slides were sent to the British Museum and identified as P. floccifera in spite of the absence of submarginal tubercles. They

noted also that in one case of the examined specimens an occasional submarginal tubercle occurs on the right side of dorsum. Hamon and Williams (1984) [6] confirmed that the difference between P. floccifera and the closely related species P. urbicola is that the former species have 4-11 submarginal tubercles while they are lacking in the latter species. Tanaka et al (2006) [7] redescribed P. urbicola Cockerell from Japan and mentioned that dorsal tubercles usually lacking. The similarity between P. urbicola and P. floccifera in the morphology is that both are elongate, slightly convex, light or dark yellowish green, mottled with dark brown spots on dorsum. Ovisac elongate, straight or curved ribbed longitudinally about 4 - 9 mm (Fig. 1). The morphological differences between those two related species were discussed by several authors (Qin and Gullan, 1992 [8]; Williams and Watson, 1990 [9]; Tanaka et al., 2006 [7]; Tanaka and Amano, 2007 [4]) & (Fig. 2, 3) and could be summarized in the following table:

Diagnostic character P. urbicola Cockerell P. floccifera (Westwood)

Synonymy

Pulvinaria urbicola Cockerell, 1893 Pulvinaria grabhami Cockerell, 1903 Pulvinaria antigoni Green, 1907 Lecanium nicotianae Newstead, 1908 Coccus nicotianae; Sanders, 1909 Pulvinaria subterranea Newstead, 1917 Pulvinaria africana Newstead, 1917 Pulvinaria floccifera; Brain, 1920 Pulvinaria peninsularis Ferris, 1921 Coccus nicotianae; Mamet, 1943 Pulvinaria grabhami; Ben-Dov, 1993

Coccus flocciferus Westwood, 1870 Pulvinaria camelicola Signoret, 1873 Coccus camelliae Westwood, 1876 Coccus euphorbiae Westwood, 1876 Pulvinaria linearis Targioni Tozzetti, 1884 Pulvinaria brassiae Cockerell, 1895 Pulvinaria floccifera; Green, 1897 Pulvinaria floccosa; Newstead, 1900 Pulvinaria brassicae; King, 1902 Pulvinaria theae Froggatt, 1915 Chloropulvinaria floccifera; Borchsenius, 1952 Pulvinaria floccifera; Ben-Dov, 1993

Submarginal tubercles

Absent 7-9 around body

Subapical setae 3 2 Multilocular pores With 6-8 loculi around anal area in

transverse band on each of posterior 4 abdominal segments and 2 on each of anterior abdominal segments and in group lateral each hind coxa.

With 7 loculi around anal area in transverse bands on abdomen, and few lateral hind coxa.

Fig 1: P. urbicola field appearance on Withania somniflora, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University.

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Fig 2: P. urbicola adult female morphological carractrastic (afterTanaka, H., H. Amano and T. Uesato, 2006).

Fig 3: P. Floccifira adult female morphological carractrastic (afterTanaka, H.and H. Amano, 2007).

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Our revision of the identification of the specimens of MAE collection led to make sure that they are P. urbicola. Therefore, all the material originally labeled as P. floccifera in this collection should be P. urbicola because of absence of submarginal tubercles 4. Conclusion It can be concluded that P. urbicola can be separated clearly from P. floccifera by lacking submarginal tubercles which is 7-9 around body in P. floccifera and by the 2 subapical seta located in the anal plate which is 3 in P. floccifera. 5. Acknowledgements Authors are grateful to Dr. Youssef Dewer, Department of Biological Chemistry and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK – Agricultural Research Center, Egypt for his great effort in revising the manuscript. Appreciation is also extended to Prof. Dr. Zeinat K. Mohammad, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt for arranging specimens loans for this study. 6. References 1. Abdel-Razak SI. First record of the urbicola soft scale,

Pulvinaria urbicola Cockerell, 1893 (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in Egypt. Alexandria Science Exchange Journal 2012; 33(3):206-208.

2. Ezzat YM, Hussein NA. Redescription and classification of the family Coccidae in U.A.R. (Homoptera: Coccoidea). Bull Soc Ent d'Egypte 1967; 51:359-426.

3. Ben-Dov Y, Miller DR, Gibson GAP. ScaleNet. http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/catalogs/coccidae/Pulvinariafloccifera.htm. 19 june, 2014.

4. Tanaka H, Amano H. Redescription of Pulvinaria floccifera (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccidea). Species Diversity 2007, 12, 211-215.

5. Mohammad ZK, Ghabbour MW. Updating list of super family Coccoidea (Hemiptera) as known to exist in Egypt. J Egypt German Soc Zool 2008, 56E:147-162.

6. Hamon AB, Williams ML. The soft scale insects of Florida (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae). In: Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas. Fla. Dept. of Agric. & Consumer Serv. Div. Plant Ind., Gainesville, 1984, 194.

7. Tanaka H, Amano H, Uesato T. A new record of Pulvinaria urbicola Cockerell, 1893 (Hemiptera, Coccidae) from Japan. Jpn J Syst Entomol 2006; 12(2):177-181.

8. Qin TK, Gullan PJ. A revision of the Australian pulvinariine soft scales (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccoidea). J Nat History 1992; 26:103-164.

9. Williams DJ, Watson GW. The Scale Insects of the Tropical South Pacific Region. Part 3: The Soft Scales (Coccidae) and Other Families. CAB International Institute of Entomology, London, UK. 1990, 267.