(Green, 1905)
Diagnosis
In life, female scale cover elongate oval, somewhat convex, 2.5-3.0 mm long, tan or light brown with shiny, yellow-brown terminal exuviae FROPENL3.jpg . Scale material is formed under the body as well as on top, forming a bivalved scale cover (Foldi, 1990, describes the cover as cone-shaped). Male scale cover similar to that of adult female but smaller and narrower (Ben-Dov, 1988; Gill, 1997).
Body of slide-mounted female elongate pyriform, membranous to lightly sclerotized, with intersegmental folds on abdomen obviously thickened and sclerotized and ducts on dorsum and venter all of similar size, in no fixed arrangement FROPES.jpg . Pygidium with a tuft of gland spines at the apex FRPEP.jpg .
Host range
Froggattiella penicillata has been recorded from hosts belonging to the plant family Gramineae, especially bamboos (Ben-Dov, 1988). Hosts include species of: Arundinaria hindsii, Bambusa spp., Cymbopogon citratus, Dendrocalamus spp., Gigantochloa aspera, Gramineae, Ochlandra, Phyllostachys spp. and Schizostachyum glaucifolium.
Affected plant stages: vegetative growing, flowering and fruiting stages
Affected plant parts: on stems and nodes FROPENL2.jpg , under the leaf sheaths
Biology and ecology
The biology of F. penicillata has not been studied. This species is known to have the Comstockiella chromosome system (Nur, 1990). Crawlers are the primary dispersal stage and move to new areas of the plant or are dispersed by wind or animal contact. Mortality due to abiotic factors is high in this stage. Dispersal of sessile adults and eggs occurs through human transport of infested plant material.
Economic impact
In California this insect is not a serious pest, but nurserymen may occasionally treat stock plants to keep the population low (Gill, 1997).
Detection and inspection methods
For the grass species listed above, strip the leaf sheaths back to expose the stems and nodes, and look for elongate oval, somewhat convex, tan or light brown scale covers with shiny, yellow-brown terminal exuviae.
Natural enemies
Parasitoids:
- Caenohomalopoda shikokuensis, in Japan and South Africa
Distribution
See Froggattiella penicillata distribution.
Microscopic examination of slide-mounted adult females is required for authoritative identification to species.
Froggattiella inusitata (Green) could be misidentified as F. penicillata, but differs in having spiracular pores associated with each posterior spiracle. In F. penicillata, there are no spiracular pores associated with the posterior spiracles FROPES.jpg. Froggattiella inusitata is known from Sri Lanka, China (Guangdong), Taiwan and Japan on stems of bamboo including Arundinaria sp. (Tao, 1999; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998; Ben-Dov, 1988).
Froggattiella mcclurei Ben-Dov could be misidentified as F. penicillata, but differs in having perivulvar pores, which are absent in F. penicillata FRPEP.jpg. Froggattiella mcclurei is known from China (Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong), Philippine Is and Indonesia (Java) on Gramineae and Bambusa sp. (Tao, 1999; Ben-Dov, 1988).
Comments
Froggattiella penicillata probably originated in southern Asia, where it is fairly widely distributed (Williams and Watson, 1988). The species has been introduced to USA, South America and North Africa. It has not been recorded from Australia, or from most of the Pacific islands.
Europe
Former USSR
Transcaucasus: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Asia
China:
Fujian: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
Guangdong: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
Henan: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
Hong Kong: present, no further details (Ben-Dov, 1988)
Shaanxi: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
Zhejiang: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
India: present, no further details (Takagi, 1969)
Tamil Nadu: present, no further details (Ben-Dov, 1988)
Iran: present, no further details (Seghatoleslami, 1977; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Japan: present, no further details (Takagi, 1969; Kawai, 1980; Ben-Dov, 1988)
Pakistan: present, no further details (Ben-Dov, 1988; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Philippines: present, no further details (Takagi, 1969; Ben-Dov, 1988)
Ryukyu Arch.: present, no further details (Ben-Dov, 1988)
Sri Lanka: present, no further details (Takagi, 1969)
Taiwan: present, no further details (Takagi, 1969; Tao, 1999)
Africa
Algeria: present, no further details (Takagi, 1969; Nakahara, 1982; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Senegal: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
South Africa: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Ben-Dov, 1988; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Western Hemisphere
Central America: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Guyana: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Ben-Dov, 1988)
Jamaica: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Ben-Dov, 1988)
Puerto Rico: present, no further details (USDA, 1978; Ben-Dov, 1988)
South America: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
USA
Alabama: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
California: present wherever bamboo is grown (Gill, 1997)
Florida: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Georgia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Hawaii: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1981)
Louisiana: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Mississippi: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Texas: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Oceania
Caroline Is: present, no further details (Takagi, 1969)
Fiji: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Palau Is: present (Beardsley, 1966; Nakahara, 1982)