(Cockerell, 1897)
Diagnosis
Adult female pupillarial. In life, second instar exuviae mussel-shaped, red-brown, elongate, with grey-white wax cover (sometimes gets rubbed off); single terminal exuviae brown LOPJAL3.jpg . Scale cover of male similar to that of female but smaller, with brown terminal exuviae (Davidson and Miller, 1990) LOPJAPL.jpg .
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 abdominal segment 3 only, never reaching onto pygidial segments; venter of segment 3 with a group of submarginal microducts on each side that occasionally extend in a row across the segment LOPJAPS.jpg . Adult female pygidium LOPJAPP.jpg ; second instar pygidium LOPJAP2I.jpg .
Host range
Lopholeucaspis japonica is a polyphagous species that has been recorded from hosts in 37 genera belonging to 13 plant families (Davidson and Miller, 1990). Hosts include species of: Acer, Camellia, Citrus, Cornus, Cytisus, Diospyros, Enkianthus, Eurya, Ficus, Hydrangea, Ilex, Ligustrum, Liquidambar, Magnolia, Malus, Paeonia, Pittosporum, Pyrus, Rhododendron, Rosa, Syringa, Ulmus, Vitis and Zelkova.
Affected plant stages: vegetative growing, flowering and fruiting stages
Affected plant parts: on bark of branches and trunk LOPJAL2.jpg , rarely on leaves and fruits
Biology and ecology
Lopholeucaspis japonica has one generation each year in Japan (Murakami, 1970) and USA (Rhode Island) (Miller, 1985) and two in the Caucasus (Kozarzheveskaia, 1956) and USA (Maryland and Virginia) (Kosztarab, 1996). 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 infestation by L. japonica can cause branches to die back.
Economic impact
This scale was listed as a pest of deciduous fruit trees of regional importance by Kozár, 1990b, and Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998, described it as a dangerous pest. It was regarded as one of the most important pests of apple in the western Transcaucasus (Konstantinova, 1976). Kosztarab, 1996, recorded it killing branches of maples in USA (Maryland).
Detection and inspection methods
Examine the bark of branches and trunk of the hosts listed above, for elongate, mussel-shaped, red-brown scale covers with a grey-white waxy cover (which sometimes gets rubbed off); each scale with a single, brown terminal exuviae LOPJAL3.jpg .
Phytosanitary protection
Lopholeucaspis japonica is mentioned on quarantine lists (Burger and Ulenberg, 1990), and is a quarantine pest for Europe.
Natural enemies
The natural enemies of L. japonica have not been studied.
Pathogens:
- Achersonia sp., in Republic of Georgia
Distribution
See Lopholeucaspis japonica distribution.
Microscopic examination of slide-mounted adult females is required for authoritative identification to species.
Comments
Lopholeucaspis japonica probably originated in the Far East, but has spread to several other continents. It is not present in Africa or the Pacific islands. Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998, say it occurs in South America but do not give any details. Its presence in Brazil is unconfirmed; Nakahara, 1982, and Davidson and Miller, 1990, record it as present, yet it is not mentioned by Silva et al., 1968, or Claps et al., 2001a. The record from Germany given in CABI/EPPO, 1992, was erroneous.
Europe
Former USSR
Azerbaijan: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Crimea: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Far East: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Georgia, Republic of: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d; Tabatadze and Yasnosh, 2001)
Krasnodar Territory: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Southern European Territory (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Ukraine: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Slovakia: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Asia
Afghanistan: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
China: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Anhui: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Fujian: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Guangdong: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Guangxi: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Hubei: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Hunan: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Jiangsu: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Jiangxi: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Shanxi: present, no further details (Xie, 1982)
Sichuan: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Yunnan: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Zhejiang: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
India
Andhra Pradesh: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Karnataka: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Madhya Pradesh: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
New Delhi: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Uttar Pradesh: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
West Bengal: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Iran: present, no further details (Seghatoleslami, 1977; Davidson and Miller, 1990)
Japan: present, cannot read any further details (Kawai, 1980)
Hokkaido: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Honshu: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Kyushu: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Okinawa: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Shikoku: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Korea: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Pakistan: present, no further details (CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
Southern Asia: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Taiwan: present, no further details (Takagi, 1969; Tao, 1999)
Turkey: present, no further details (Davidson and Miller, 1990)
Western Hemisphere
USA
Connecticut: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; CABI/EPPO, 1998d)
District of Colombia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Delaware: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Georgia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Maryland: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Davidson and Miller, 1990)
New Jersey: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
New York: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Pennsylvania: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Rhode Island: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Virginia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Oceania
Australia
Northern Territory: present, no further details (Danzig, 1993; CABI/EPPO, 1998d)