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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #354335
Research Project: Systematics of Hemiptera and Related Groups: Plant Pests, Predators and Disease Vectors

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Range extension of false Meyer scale, Dynaspidiotus pseudomeyeri (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in the United States, and newly recorded associations with a parasitoid and mite

Author
item Schneider, Scott
item SKVARLA, M. - University Of Arkansas
item Ochoa, Ronald - Ron
item SCHMIDT, S. - Non ARS Employee
item POLASZEK, A. - London Natural History Museum
item Gates, Michael

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/22/2019
Publication Date: 4/30/2019
Citation: Schneider, S.A., Skvarla, M.J., Ochoa, R., Schmidt, S., Polaszek, A.P., Gates, M.W. 2019. Range extension of false Meyer scale, Dynaspidiotus pseudomeyeri (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in the United States, and newly recorded associations with a parasitoid and mite. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 121(2):320-326.

Interpretive Summary: Scale insects are an important group of common agricultural pests that cause billions of dollars in global economic losses each year. They are among the most invasive pests in the USA and other countries. This article describes two new state records for a pest of ornamental trees, the false Meyer scale, and the first record of ecological interactions with a parasitic wasp, and a parasitic mite. Parasitism by the wasp on false Meyer scale may provide suitable habitat for cheletid mites to establish nests and further predate upon the local scale insect population. The combined action of both parasites attacking local populations may suppress the scale more than either parasite could when acting alone.

Technical Abstract: We report on two newly recorded ecological associations with false Meyer scale, Dynaspidiotus pseudomeyeri (Kuwana), populations collected from Thuja in Pennsylvania, one with a parasitic aphelinid wasp, Encarsia perniciosi (Tower), and the other with a cheyletid mite, Cheletogenes ornatus (Can. & Fanz.). Identifications of species were made using a combination of morphological and molecular data. Cheyletid mites were found to nest inside the cuticles of dead armored scales that were previously inhabited by developing parasitoid wasps. We also report on the first state records for Dynaspidiotus pseudomeyeri in Connecticut and Rhode Island.