Aulacaspis Yasumatsui Takagi
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Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi The Cycad Aulacaspis Scale (CAS), Aulacaspis yasumatsui, a native of Southeast Asia, is found on plants from the gymnosperm order Cycadales. Its preferred host belong to the genus Cycas. CAS is highly damaging to cycads, which include horticulturally important and endangered plant species. The scale has the potential to spread to new areas via plant movement in the horticulture trade. Its known introduced range includes some states in the USA including Florida and Hawai‘i, Cayman Is. Puerto Rico and Vieques Islands, US Virgin Islands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Guam. CAS has been reported from the island of Rota (Northern Mariana Islands) in 2007 and Palau in 2008. or at the base of the petiole. Scales also infest the upper surfaces Infestations of CAS on cycads begin on the undersides of leaflets The leaves of infested cycads have a whitewashed appearance. Infestedof leaflets plants eventually, will typically and thehave terminal chlorotic, portion yellow-brown of the leaves,cycad. as the continuous removal of plant sap by the scale will usually Photo credit: Anne Brooke result in the death of the leaves (Weissling, 1999; Heu et al. 2003). By May 2005 it was estimated that half the king sago palms were CAS has been reported in the Taitung Cycad Nature Reserve, killed and population numbers of fadang were said to be declining Taiwan, home of the endemic prince sago the ‘Vulnerable (VU)’ (Haynes and Marler, 2005). Cycas taitungensis Besides the use of insecticides, the lady beetle, Rhyzobius lophanthae 2003, on the ‘Near Threatened (NT)’ king sago palms Cycas (Blaisdell) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), has been used as a biological . CAS was first observed in Guam during October revoluta. By September 2004 it was reported on the native Guam control agent on Guam, Palau and Rota. cycad, known as fadang the ‘Endangered (EN) Cycas micronesica, Haynes, J. and Marler, T. 2005. Exotic invasive pest insect critically threatening Guam’s vulnerable flora, fauna and island ecosystem Heu, R.A., M. Chun & W.T. Nagamine. 2003. Sago palm scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi (Homoptera: Diaspididae). State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture New Pest Advisory No. 99- 01 Weissling, T.J., Howard, F.W. and Hamon, A., 1999. Featured creatures: Cycad aulacaspis scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi. 233–238, 2008 Click here view archives of previous weeks’ species.