(Bouché, 1851)
Diagnosis
Scale cover of adult female in life mussel-shaped, flat, pale brown, yellow or white with yellow, terminal exuviae PINBUL2.jpg and PINBUL3.jpg . Scale cover of male unknown except for one record in Réunion Island by Mamet, 1959; he described it as white, elongate with parallel sides, with three strongly raised longitudinal ridges and terminal, white or yellow exuviae.
Body of slide-mounted adult female narrow and elongate, 1.0 mm long, membranous, without lateral tubercles PINBUS.jpg . Pygidium with well-developed median lobes, usually with a narrow gap between, but without setae or gland spines between them. Abdominal segment 5 without any submarginal macroducts; submedian dorsal scleroses absent from near anterior edge of pygidial shield PINBUP.jpg .
Host range
Pinnaspis buxi is a polyphagous species that has been recorded from hosts belonging to 42 genera in 21 plant families (Davidson and Miller, 1990), but its host range is probably wider. Palms and Araceae are favoured hosts. Hosts include species of: Adiantum, Anthurium, Areca, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Asplenium, Barringtonia, Buxus, Canarium, Chamaerops, Citrus, Cocos nucifera, Colocasia, Coprosma, Cordyline, Croton, Dictyosperma, Helicia, Heliconia, Hevea, Inocarpus, Lycopersicon esculentum, Maranta, Momordica, Monstera, Morinda, Musa, Palmae, Pandanus, Phaseolus, Phoenix, Piper, Schuurmansia, Theobroma cacao and Thrinax.
Affected plant stages: vegetative growing, flowering and fruiting stages
Affected plant parts: on leaves PINBUL3.jpg and twigs
Biology and ecology
Reproduction is normally by parthenogenesis (Ferris and Rao, 1947; Brown, 1965), with only one sexual population reported from Réunion Island (Mamet, 1959). Development takes about one month from crawler to egg-laying female (Vesey-Fitzgerald, 1940). In China (Shaanxi) there were two generations per year, and the fertilized female adults overwintered on twigs and leaves of the plant (Song et al., 1989).
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 China (Shaanxi), P. buxi severely damaged Buxus megistophylla, an important ornamental plant (Song et al., 1989). The scale has been reported attacking leaves of rubber in Malaysia (Chua and Wood, 1990).
Detection and inspection methods
Closely examine leaves and twigs of the host-plants listed above, for mussel-shaped, flat, pale brown, yellow or white scale covers, each with yellow, terminal exuviae PINBUL3.jpg .
Natural enemies
The natural enemies of P. buxi have not been studied.
Distribution
See Pinnaspis buxi distribution.
Microscopic examination of slide-mounted adult females is required for authoritative identification to species.
Comments
This tropicopolitan species was described originally from Australia (Williams and Watson, 1988); it may have originated in eastern Asia (Longo et al., 1995). In cold countries it occurs under glass. Pinnaspis buxi has been eradicated in California (Gill, 1997).
Europe
Denmark: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Former Czechoslovakia: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Former USSR: under glass (Nakahara, 1982; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Germany: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Italy: in the south (Longo et al., 1995; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
United Kingdom: restricted to a few botanical collections, under glass (C.P. Malumphy, Central Science Laboratory, UK, pers. comm.)
England (Kew Gardens): The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Wales: (C.P. Malumphy, Central Science Laboratory, UK, pers. comm.)
Asia
Bhutan: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
China
Fujian: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
Hong Kong: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
North-West China: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
Shaanxi: present, no further details (Song et al., 1989)
Shandong: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
Sichuan: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
Yunnan: present, no further details (Tao, 1999)
India: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Karnataka: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Kerala: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Maharashtra: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
New Delhi: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Sikkim: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Indonesia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Irian Jaya: present, no further details (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Japan: present, no further details (Kawai, 1980; Tao, 1999)
Korea: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Malaysia
West Malaysia: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Maldive Is: present, no further details (Watson et al., 1995)
Nepal: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Pakistan: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Philippines: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Singapore: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
South-East Asia: present, no further details (Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Sri Lanka: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Taiwan: present, no further details (Takagi, 1970; Wong et al., 1999)
Thailand: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Africa
Cameroon: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Cape Verde Is: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Congo Democratic Republic: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Egypt: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Danzig and Pellizzari, 1998)
Fernando Po: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Ghana: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Madagascar: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Mauritius: present, no further details (Williams and Williams, 1988)
Réunion: present, no further details (Williams and Williams, 1988)
Sao Tomé: present, no further details (Fernandez, 1974; Nakahara, 1982)
Seychelles: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Sierra Leone: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Tanzania: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Togo: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Zimbabwe: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Western Hemisphere
?Argentina: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982) but Claps et al., 2001a, do not confirm this record
Barbados: present, no further details (Bennett and Alam, 1985)
Brazil: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Bahia: present, no further details (Claps et al., 2001a)
Guanabara: present, no further details (Silva et al., 1968)
Rio de Janeiro: present, no further details (Claps et al., 2001a)
Santos: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Sao Paulo: present, no further details (Claps et al., 2001a)
Caribbean Is: many (Nakahara, 1982)
Central America: most countries (Nakahara, 1982)
Colombia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Kondo, 2001)
Costa Rica: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Cuba: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Dominican Republic: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Ecuador: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Guyana: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Honduras: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Jamaica: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Mexico: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982; Miller, 1996)
Panama: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Peru: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Puerto Rico: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
St Vincent: The Natural History Museum collection, London, UK
Suriname: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Trinidad: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
USA
District of Colombia: under glass (Nakahara, 1982)
Florida: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Hawaii: present on Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai and Molokai (Heu, 2002)
Illinois: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Maryland: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
New York: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Pennsylvania: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Venezuela: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Oceania
Australia: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Northern Territory: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Bonin Is: present, no further details (Nakahara, 1982)
Caroline Is: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Cook Is: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Fiji: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Guam: present, no further details (CIE, 1967)
Papua New Guinea: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Pohnpei: present (Beardsley, 1966)
Society Is: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Solomon Is: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
South Mariana Is: present (Beardsley, 1966)
Tonga: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)
Western Samoa: present (Williams and Watson, 1988)