(Grandpré and Charmoy, 1899)
Diagnosis
Adult female pupillarial, concealed within exuviae of second instar in life; scale cover elongate with a longitudinal median ridge (making it triangular in cross-section), brown but covered in a thin secretion of white wax that sometimes gets rubbed off LOCOL2.jpg . Scale cover of male similar to that of female but narrower and much smaller.
Body of slide-mounted adult female more than twice as long as wide, membranous; abdominal disc pores present in submedian groups on at least one prepygidial segment; prepygidial margin of thorax and abdomen bordered by a continuous row of duct tubercles as far posteriorly as segments 4 and 5 on pygidium; venter of abdominal segment 3 without a group of submarginal microducts on each side LOCOCS.jpg . Adult female pygidium LOCOP1.jpg ; second instar pygidium LOCO2I.jpg .
Host range
Lopholeucaspis cockerelli is a polyphagous species that has been recorded from hosts belonging to 13 plant families (Borchsenius, 1966). Palms and orchids are favoured hosts. Hosts include species of: Aleurites, Barringtonia, Calophyllum, Citrus, Dendrobium, Ficus, Heliconia, Hoya, Hydnocarpus, Inocarpus, Ipomoea, Litchi, Oncidium, Orchidaceae, Palmae, Passiflora, Persea americana, Pinus, Piper, Rosa, Sanseviera, Schefflera, Terminalia, Theobroma cacao, Ulmus and Vanilla.
Affected plant stages: vegetative growing, flowering and fruiting stages
Affected plant parts: leaves LOCOL1.jpg
Biology and ecology
The biology and ecology of L. cockerelli have not been studied.
Symptoms
Heavy infestations cause chlorosis and the development of necrotic patches on the leaves under the insects, where the toxic saliva is injected. LOCOL1.jpg On Pinus caribbaea in Fiji, large numbers of L. cockerelli on the needles caused some distortion (Williams and Watson, 1988).
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
Outbreaks of L. cockerelli on Pinus caribbea in Fiji have given rise for concern (Williams and Watson, 1988), and there are records of it as a pest of Citrus from several countries in the South Pacific region (Maddison, 1976).
Detection and inspection methods
Examine the leaves of the host-plants listed above, for elongate scale covers, brown but covered in a thin secretion of white wax that sometimes gets rubbed off, each with a longitudinal median ridge (making it triangular in cross-section), and a single exuviae LOCOL2.jpg
Natural enemies
The natural enemies of L. cockerelli have not been studied.
Distribution
See Lopholeucaspis cockerelli distribution.
Microscopic examination of slide-mounted adult females is required for authoritative identification to species.
Comments
Lopholeucaspis cockerelli is a tropicopolitan species of uncertain origin. It probably has a wide distribution, although it still has not been reported from some tropical countries (Williams and Watson, 1988). In northern countries it occurs only under glass (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998). The species has been eradicated in California (Gill, 1997). In spite of the record published by Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998, there have been no recent records of L. cockerelli in the United Kingdom, and it is not regarded as established there (C.P. Malumphy, Central Science Laboratory, UK, pers. comm.). Hodgson and Hilburn, 1991, remark that the species does not appear to be established in Bermuda.
Europe
Germany: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Greece: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Asia
China
Hong Kong: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
India: present, no further details (Williams and Williams, 1988)
Madras: present, no further details (Rao and Kumar, 1952)
Indonesia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Japan: present, cannot read any further details (Kawai, 1980; Tao, 1999)
Honshu: present (1981 data from S. Kawai photograph)
Philippines: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Southern Asia: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Sri Lanka: present, no further details (Williams and Williams, 1988)
Africa
Ascension Is: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Cameroon: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Congo Democratic Republic: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Gabon: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Guinea: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Kenya: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Liberia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Madagascar: present, no further details (Williams and Williams, 1988)
Mauritius: present, no further details (Williams and Williams, 1988)
Principe: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Seychelles: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Sierra Leone: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Tanzania: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Western Hemisphere
Bahamas: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Brazil: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Sao Paulo: present, no further details (Claps et al., 2001a)
Central America: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Colombia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Kondo, 2001)
Cuba: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Dominica: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Dominican Republic: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Ecuador: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Grenada: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Jamaica: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Martinique: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Mexico: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Miller, 1996)
Peru: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Puerto Rico: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Trinidad: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
USA
Florida: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Hawaii: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1981)
Massachusetts: under glass (Nakahara, 1982)
New York: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Venezuela: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Oceania
Australia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Bonin Is: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Caroline Is: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Cook Is: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Fiji: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Kiribati: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
New Caledonia: present, no further details (Brun and Chazeau, 1980)
Niue: present, no further details (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Pohnpei: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Ponape: on Mitchell (Beardley, 1975)
Tonga: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Western Samoa: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Vanuatu: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)