Lepidosaphes beckii

Lepidosaphes beckii also known as purple scale, mussel scale, citrus mussel scale, orange scale, comma scale and mussel purple scale[2] is a scale insect that is a pest of Citrus trees. The small insects attach themselves to leaves, fruits and small branches and cause injury by sucking the tree's sap.[3]

Lepidosaphes beckii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
Family: Diaspididae
Genus: Lepidosaphes
Species:
L. beckii
Binomial name
Lepidosaphes beckii
(Newman, 1869)[1]
Synonyms[2]

Coccus beckii Newman, 1869[1]
Mytilaspis flavescens
Mytilaspis citricola
Mytilaspis fulva
Lepidosaphes pinnaeformis
Mytilococcus beckii
Cornuaspis beckii

The specific name beckii is in honour of historian Richard Beck.[1]

Description

Lepidosaphes beckii was originally described under the name Coccus beckii by English entomologist Edward Newman from a fruit imported to Great Britain.[1] Newman's original description reads as follows:[1]

It appeared as a narrow scale about a tenth of an inch in length, slightly bent at one extremity, and always adhering so closely to the rind of the apple that it is scarcely possible to remove it entire. The females are larger than the males, and never by any chance leave the spot where they first fasten themselves: the male is winged, ...

The adult female citrus mussel scale is up to three millimetres long.[4]

Host plants
Lepidosaphes beckii on an orange fruit

These are usually Citrus host plant species[3] such as sweet orange Citrus × sinensis.

Predators

Predators of Lepidosaphes beckii include chalcid wasps from families Aphelinidae, Encyrtidae and Signiphoridae:[5]

  • Aphelinidae: Aphytis chrysomphali, Aphytis diaspidis, Aphytis holoxanthus, Aphytis lepidosaphes, Aphytis mytilaspidis, Encarsia citrina, Encarsia lounsburyi, Eretmocerus corni and Pteroptrix chinensis[5]
  • Encyrtidae: Adelencyrtus inglisiae, Metaphycus flavus and Ooencyrtus sp.[5]
  • Signiphoridae: Signiphora flavopalliata and Signiphora merceti[5]

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference[1]

  1. Newman E. (1869). "Coccus beckii, a new British Hemipteron of the family Coccidae". The Entomologist 4: 217-218.
  2. Watson G. W. "Lepidosaphes beckii - Synonyms". Arthropods of Economic Importance - Diaspididae of the World, accessed 22 January 2012.
  3. Citrus mussel scale. HYPPZ, accessed 22 January 2012.
  4. Watson G. W. "Lepidosaphes beckii - Description" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Arthropods of Economic Importance - Diaspididae of the World, accessed 22 January 2012.
  5. "search for Mytilococcus beckii". Universal Chalcidoidea Database, accessed 22 January 2011.
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