(Bouché, 1851)
Diagnosis
Scale cover of adult female elongate (2.4-3.5 mm long), mussel-shaped (sometimes quite broad), slightly convex, straight or curved, warm brown, sometimes with a paler margin; with yellow to brown terminal exuviae LEPINNL2.jpg . Scale cover of male similar to that of female but smaller (1.4-1.6 mm long) and narrower, with terminal exuviae. Adult male winged (Ghauri, 1962).
Body of slide-mounted adult female elongate, more than 1.8x as long as wide, and membranous, with a rounded head; head without obvious lateral tubercles; eye developed into a sclerotized spur, usually pointing anteriorly; lateral marginal spurs present on margins of prepygidial segments II, III and IV, each spur blunt-tipped and sclerotized LEPINS.jpg . Pygidium with 5 or 6 marginal macroducts on each side of pygidium; median lobes not yoked, with a pair of gland spines between them, and without any club-shaped basal scleroses; perivulvar pores present LEPINP.jpg .
Host range
Lepidosaphes pinnaeformis has been recorded from hosts belonging to six plant families; Orchidaceae are favoured hosts (Borchsenius, 1966). Hosts include species of: Banksia, Cactaceae, Cattleya, Cinnamomum spp., Citrus, Croton, Cycas, Cymbidium spp., Dendrobium, Elaeagnus, Ficus, Lauraceae, Lindera spp., Magnolia grandiflora, Michelia spp., Persea, Phellodendron spp., Phoebe, Prunus, Pyrus, Quercus, Taxus and Tetradymia.
Affected plant stages: vegetative growing, flowering and fruiting stages
Affected plant parts: on the leaves LEPINNL2.jpg and sometimes on stems
Biology and ecology
In Central European glasshouses, L. pinnaeformis has about four generations per year; reproduction is sexual. Each female lays 31-132 eggs, and the crawlers hatch about 10 days later (Schmutterer, 1959). 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.
Symptoms
Heavy infestations encrusting the leaves of orchids make them unsightly, causing numerous discoloured patches (one at each scale insect feeding site) (Balachowsky, 1954).
Economic impact
Lepidosaphes pinnaeformis is a pest of orchids in greenhouses (Danzig, 1993). Balachowsky, 1954, described it as damaging to orchids. Gill, 1997, mentions it as an occasional pest in California, mainly on orchids. Miller and Davidson, 1990, list L. pinnaeformis as a pest.
Detection and inspection methods
Examine leaves and stems of epiphytic orchids for elongate, mussel-shaped (sometimes quite broad), slightly convex, warm brown scale covers, sometimes with a paler margin; each with yellow to brown terminal exuviae.
Phytosanitary risk
Ferris, 1942, remarked that the widespread distribution of this species was probably due to its accidental dissemination on infested epiphytic orchids. Imported orchids should be carefully checked for infestation. The species could present a threat to orchid-growing countries.
Natural enemies
The records below are mostly from Fulmek, 1943.
Parasitoids:
- Aphytis diaspidis
- Aphytis maculicornis
- Aphytis mytilaspidis
- Encarsia aspidioticola
- Encarsia aurantii
- Encarsia citrina
- Encarsia lounsburyi
- Encarsia singularis
- Marietta carnesi
- Metaphycus flavus
- Pteroptrix chinensis
- Signiphora flavopalliata
Predators:
- Chilocorus sp.
- Coccidophilus citricola
- Exochomus sp.
- Karnyothrips flavipes
Distribution
See Lepidosaphes pinnaeformis distribution.
Microscopic examination of slide-mounted adult females is required for authoritative identification to species.
Lepidosaphes kuwacola Kuwana LEKUWS.jpg could easily be misidentified as L. pinnaeformis, but differs by having 6-7 pores by each anterior spiracle; antennae with 4 setae each; submarginal pygidial macroducts about 4-5x as long as wide; a short row of 8-10 submedian ducts near the anterior edge of segment VI, these ducts mostly lying anterior to the level of the anus LEKUWP.jpg; and about 20 submedian/median ventral microducts posterior to or level with the antennal bases. In contrast, L. pinnaeformis LEPINS.jpg has about 13 pores by each anterior spiracle; antennae with 3 setae each; submarginal pygidial macroducts about 7-10x as long as wide; a short row of 4-6 submedian ducts near the anterior edge of segment VI, these ducts mostly lying level with or posterior to the anus LEPINP.jpg; and about 7 submedian/median ventral microducts level with or anterior to the antennal bases. Lepidosaphes kuwacola LEKUWL2.jpg is a polyphagous species known from Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku) and China (Sichuan), on species of Caryopteris, Celtis, Cornus, Eleutherococcus, Euonymus, Fraxinus, Ginkgo, Hedera, Kalopanax, Ligustrum, Mallotus, Morus, Osmanthus, Paeonia, Picrasma, Prunus, Pyrus, Salix, Taxus and Ulmus (Takagi, 1960; Kawai, 1980; 1988 data from S. Kawai photograph; Danzig, 1993; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998; Tao, 1999). Colony LEKUWL1.jpg
Comments
Lepidosaphes pinnaeformis is a subtropical/tropical species, possibly of Asian origin. In northern countries, it is only found under glass (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998). It has not been recorded from Africa, Australia, or from the tropical Pacific islands.
Europe
Former USSR: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Latvia: present under glass (Danzig, 1993)
Uzbekistan: present, no further details (Archangelskaya, 1937)
Former Czechoslovakia: present under glass (Balachowsky, 1954)
France: present, no further details (Foldi, 2001)
Germany: present under glass (Balachowsky, 1954)
Greece
Crete: present under glass (Ayoutantis, 1940)
Italy: under glass (Longo et al., 1995)
Malta: present (Borg, 1932)
Portugal: present, no further details (Seabra, 1941)
Spain: present, no further details (Gómez-Menor Ortega, 1937)
United Kingdom
England: occasionally at botanical gardens under glass (C.P. Malumphy, Central Science Laboratory, UK, pers. comm.)
Western Europe: under glass (Danzig, 1993)
Asia
China: present, no further details (Ferris, 1942; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
North China: under glass (Danzig, 1993)
Shanxi: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
India: present, no further details (Merrill, 1953)
Sikkim: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Tamil Nadu: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
West Bengal: present, no further details (Rao and Kumar, 1952)
Iran: present, no further details (Archangelskaya, 1937)
Japan: present, no further details (Ferris, 1942; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Hokkaido: present (Takagi, 1960)
Honshu: present (Takagi, 1960)
Kyushu: present (Takagi, 1960)
Shikoku: present, no further details (Tachikawa, 1962)
Malaysia
West Malaysia: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
South-East Asia: widely distributed (Danzig, 1993)
Syria: present, no further details (Archangelskaya, 1937)
Taiwan: present, no further details (Ferris, 1942; Tao, 1999)
Turkey: present, no further details (Archangelskaya, 1937)
Vietnam: present, no further details (Takahashi, 1942)
Africa
Angola: present, no further details (Ferrao and Cardosa, 1972)
Egypt: present, no further details (Archangelskaya, 1937)
Morocco: present, no further details (Lepiney and Mimeur, 1931)
Western Hemisphere
?Argentina: not recorded since 1907 (Claps et al., 2001a)
Brazil: present, no further details (Lepage, 1938)
Central America: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Guatemala: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Guyana: present, no further details (Bodkin, 1922)
USA: under glass (Danzig, 1993)
California: rare under glass (Gill, 1997)
Delaware: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
District of Colombia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Florida: present (Dekle, 1976)
Maryland: present (Merrill, 1953)
Massachusetts: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
New Jersey: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
New York: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Pennsylvania: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Oceania
Australia
Tasmania: present, no further details (Hudson, 1967)
New Zealand: present, no further details (Charles and Henderson, submitted)