Silva Balcanica, 17(2)/2016 REVIEW OF CEROPLASTES GRAY 1828 IN BULGARIA WITH FIRST REPORT OF C. CIRRIPEDIFORMIS COMSTOCK 1881 Aneliya Pencheva University of Forestry, Sofia Mariya Yovkova Institute of Ornamental Plants, Sofia Abstract The aim of the publication was to summarize the current status of genus Ceroplastes in Bulgaria. During the last investigation in a garden center in Ravda four Ceroplastes species were identified. They were found infesting 20 ornamental plant species; most of them cultivated in greenhouses. Among collected scale insects, C. cirripediformis was detected for first time in the country. The basic morphology and biological characters of this wax scale are presented. In addition an identification key to Bulgarian Ceroplastes species is provided. Key words: C. ceriferus, C. cirripediformi, C. japonicus, C. sinensis, first record, new host plants INTRODUCTION The wax scales from subfamily Ceroplastinae is one of the largest groups from the Coccidae family (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Coccoidea). Their members can be easily recognized by the thick, protective waxy layer. Similarly wax scales are often observed in groups of plants that are readily seen and collected (Gill, 1988). Currently, the subfamily Ceroplastinae includes two genera: Ceroplastes Gray 1828 and Waxiella De Lotto (1971) (Rainato, Pellizzari, 2010). The first genus contains approximately 140 species; most of them are endemic to the Neotropics and Ethiopian Regions and only a few (4 or 5) originate from other zoogeographical regions (Fetyko, Kozár, 2012; García et al., 2016). Ceroplastes species have a worldwide distribution (much of this is perhaps due to human activity) whereas Waxiella ones are distributed mainly in Africa (Rainato, Pellizzari, 2010). Recently many studies have been devoted to Ceroplastes with the aim of clarifying their distribution, pest status, revision of the species or even description of new species (Hodgson, Peronti, 2012; Kaydan, Kondo, 2008; Rainato, Pellizzari, 2008, 2010; Peronti et al., 2008; Ülgentürk, 2016). Currently in Europe there are records of 11 species from the genus Ceroplastes, which have been either established or in a timely manner intercepted (Fetyko, Kozár, 2012; Malumphy, 2010). Several wax scales, like C. japonicus Green 1921, C. rusci L. and C. floridensisComstock 1881 are widespread in many parts of Europe, whereas some others have a restricted known distribution. Often, these wax scales are established in urban areas and here they can increase rapidly due to the absence of their natural enemies (Mazzeo et al., 2014). 37 In regard to Bulgaria, to this day tree wax scales have been recorded as pests of indoor and outdoor ornamental plants: Japanese wax scale (C. japonicus Green); Indian wax scale (C. ceriferus (Fabricius)) and Chinese wax scale (C. sinensis Del Guercio). In their native habitat they are highly polyphagous and infest a wide range of ornamentals and mostly fruit crops (García et al., 2016). A few observations of C. japonicus and C. ceriferus, conducted in the country during recent years, indicated their successful acclimatization in restricted regions around the Black Sea coast (Pencheva, 2009; Pencheva, Yovkova, 2016). In October 2015 and May 2016, transient incursions of Barnacle scale (C. cirripediformis Comstock) were registered first in a garden center and then in a private property. This was the first detection of Barnacle scale in Bulgaria. The aim of the work presented here was: to summarize the current status of the genus Ceroplastes in Bulgaria; to present the basic morphology and biological characteristics of the newly reported wax scale C. cirripediformis; in addition to providing an identification key to Bulgarian Ceroplastes species. MATERIALS AND METHODS A survey was conducted mainly in October 2016 in a garden center, located in Ravda (southern part of Black Sea coast). During the visual inspection of ornamental plants, infested plant parts (twigs or leaves) and scale insects seen on them were collected. For each of the insect’s samples, the origin of infested host plants was checked. The observation included two types of ornamentals. First type was plants grown in botanical collections in greenhouses and the second one were plants, cultivated outdoors. In total seventeen samples of wax scale were collected and studied in our laboratory. The female specimens were slide-mounted according to the method provided by Kosztarab, Kozár (1988). Only young females were used in order to detect some structures such as filamentous ducts, which are impossible to identify in aged females. The newly reported speciesC . cirripediformis was identified using the key of Fetyko, Kozár (2012). The identity of species was confirmed by Dr É. Szita from Department of Zoology, Plant Protection Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest. The collected specimens are preserved in the department of Plant Pathology and Chemistry at the University of Forestry, Sofia. A key with figures was constructed to differentiate Ceroplastes Bulgarian species, using the description of Gimpel et al. (1974), and identifications keys of Fetyko, Kozár (2012), Gill (1988), Pellizzari, Camporese (1994) and Ülgentürk (2016). RESULTS The list of collected wax scales in 2016 is presented in Table 1. The infested host plants, recorded in preceding investigations are mentioned as well (Pencheva, Yovkova, 2016). 38 Four Ceroplastes species infesting a large number of ornamentals in the garden center were identified. During the current study, dense colonies of C. japonicus on 14 host plants were registered; twelve of them are new hosts for this pest in Bulgaria. Japanese wax scale was most abundant on shrubs of Ilex aquifolium L., growing outdoors, as well as on Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl., Ficus benjamina L. and Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms indoors. They were collected predominantly as young females and only several third instar nymphs. A few C. ceriferus females (Fig. 2a) were detected on a single Photinia × fraseri Dress shrub. The species had settled in a mixed community together with C. japonicus. This is the fifth sample from Indian wax scale in Bulgaria since it has been first reported in 2009 (Pencheva, Yovkova, 2011). Specimens of C. sinensis, predominantly in 2nd nymphal stage, were identified on 5 new hosts: Acca sellowiana (O.Berg) Burret; Citrus × limon (L) Osbeck; Caragana arborescens Lam.; Zanthoxylum armatum DC. and Hibiscus syriacus L. Identification of C. cirripediformis was confirmed for first time in 2016, but the material for its identification and confirmation was collected in May and October 2015. The specimens of this scale had infested Ilex aquifolium in a private property around Nessebar and some Citrus spp. in the same greenhouses in Ravda. In October 2016 only dead females with hatched eggs, from previously generation on Citrus×limon and Citrus myrtifolia, were found. Description of a new detected pest Ceroplastes cirripediformis Table 1. List of Ceroplastes species and their host plants Host plants in October 2016 Species Previously reported host plants In greenhouses Outdoors Acer palmatum Thunb., Ceroplastes L. A. negundo Euonymus ceriferus s (Thunb.) Siebold, Photinia × fraseri (Fabricius) alatu Ilex aquifolium L. Pyracantha sp. Ceroplastes C (L), itrus×limon C. myrtifolia L. cirripediformis Raf. Blanco Ilex aqufolium Comstock ,C. reticulate Camellia sasanqua Thunb.,Citrus sp., Cinnamomum camphora L., Ilex aquifolium L., Citrus sp., Ilex aquifolium L., Escallonia sp., Eriobotrya japonica Ceroplastes Laurus nobilis L., Viburnum Citrus spp., Photinia × (Thunb.) Lindl.,Ficus benjamina japonicus thinus L., Pyracantha fraseri, Yucca gigantea L., Ficus elastica Roxb. Ex Hornem, Green coccinea M. Roem, Hedera Lem.,Viburnum Monstera deliciosa Liebm., helix L., Camellia japonica L. rhytidophyllum Hemsl. Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.), Harms, Strelitzia reginae Aiton. Caragana arborescens Ceroplastes Acca sellowiana (O.Berg) Burret, Lam., Hibiscus syriacus sinensis Ilex aquifolium L. Citrus×limon (L) L., Zanthoxylum Del Guercio armatum DC. 39 Fig. 1. C. cirripediformis: a, b – adult female; c – antennae and d – stigmatic setae (original) Material examined: Ravda – October 2015, 2016; Nessebar – May 2015; 6 female specimens in good condition. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of C. cirripediformis can be found in works of Gimpel et al. (1974), Gill (1988) and Peronti et al. (2008). Only the most important morphological characteristics of the adult female by Gill (1988) are reported here. Unmounted material: Adult females have reddish brown body, 2-5 mm long, convex to hemispherical in form. The body is completely covered with a layer of thick wax, pearly to grayish white in colour (Fig. 1a, b); it is without horn, this is visible in C. ceriferus (Fig. 2a). Morphologically this species is most similar to Chinese wax scale (Fig. 1d). Wet wax oval in dorsal view, hemispherical laterally, divided into 1 dorsal and 6 lateral plates by thin depressed lines. Each plate has a darkened central area (Fig. 1d). At the end of the oviposition, the female is transformed in a capsule filled with eggs. Like another Ceroplastes, C. cirripediformis has three nymphal instars which are reddish with separate conical wax filaments. Mounted material: Mounted female is oval in shape, filamentous ducts absent on venter. Dorsum. With a mediodorsal clear area; cephalic and posterolateral clear areas divided. Pores predominantly triangular and trilocular, a few number of oval trilocular