Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2014; 2 (2): 185-188

ISSN 2320-7078 The identity of the cottony camellia scale, JEZS 2014; 2 (2): 185-188 Pulvinaria floccifera (Westwood) (: © 2014 JEZS Received: 05-02-2014 Accepted: 07-03-2014 Pulvinariini) in Egypt.

Soad I. Abdel-Razak Scale and Mealybugs Department, Soad I. Abdel-Razak, Suzan A. Badr, Hedaya H. Karam Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI), Agricultural Research Center ABSTRACT (ARC), Sabahia, Baccous, P.O Box This study was to clarify identity of the cottony camellia scale , Pulvinaria floccifera (Westwood, 21616, Alexandria, Egypt. 1870) in Egypt. All mounted slides of P. floccifera presented in Plant Protection Research Institute’s scale insects collection, Ministry of Agriculture, Cairo, Egypt were examined and compared with P. urbicola Suzan A. Badr which has been recently recorded for the first time by Abdel-Razak (2012). Our findings indicate that the Scale insects and Mealybugs Department, 14 adult females, P. floccifera, identified by Ezzat and Hussein (1967) is a misidentification of P. urbicola Plant Protection Research Institute Cockerell, 1893. Some diagnostic characteristics of the adult females of the two species may help in the (PPRI), Agricultural Research Center future identification of soft . Moreover, it could lead to find a better way for controlling scale (ARC), Sabahia, Baccous, P.O Box insects indoor and outdoor. 21616, Alexandria, Egypt. Keywords: Coccidae, , Egypt, Pulvinaria urbicola, Pulvinaria floccifera. Hedaya H. Karam Dept. of Applied Entomology, Faculty of 1. Introduction Agriculture, Alexandria University, Egypt. Pulvinaria floccifera (Westwood), is a cosmopolitan species known from the Afrotropical, Australasian, Nearctic, Neotropical, Oriental, and Palaearctic regions (Ben-Dov, 2014) [3]. Tanaka and Amano (2007) [4] redescribed Pulvinaria floccifera based on the syntypes of the species. They stated that, the description in several previous taxonomic accounts of P. floccifera is based on non-type materials and suggested that more than one Pulvinaria species have become mixed under the name P. floccifera.

IMPORTANT According to the updating list of scale insects of Egypt (Mohammad and Ghabbour, 2008) [5], genus Pulvinaria Targioni Tozzetti, 1866, is represented by four species, i.e. P. chrysanthemi Hall, P. floccifera (Westwood), P. psidii Maskell and P. tenuivalvata (Newstead). Abdel-Razak (2012) [1] added P. urbicola as a new record in Egypt. The latter species is similar to P. floccifera in appearance and to some extent in the morphological characters, except the absence of submarginal tubercles, which is a very important character that can be used to separate Pulivinaria species. Moreover Ezzat and Hussien (1967) [2] redescribed P. floccifera based on specimens identified by the British Museum (BMNH). Although they were confused because of the lacking of the submarginal tubercles in all the specimens, they left the floor open for further scientific discussion. Therefore the aim of this study is to clarify the confused identification between those two species P. floccifera and P. urbicola in Egypt.

2. Materials examined 17♀♀ collected from Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria, Egypt, 2012, host: Withania somniflora (Solanacae). Collectors, Soad I. Abdel-Razak and Hedaya H. Karam. 8 ♀♀, collected from King Fouad Greenhouse, ElMontazah garden, Alexandria, Egypt, II. 2009, Correspondence: Soad I. Abdel-Razak host: Sanchezia speciosa. S. I. Abdel-Razak coll., Identified by G. W. Watson, California Scale insects and Mealybugs, Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, California, U.S.A.; 3 ♀♀ Experimental Farm Department, Plant Protection Research of Agricultural Research center, Alex. Egypt, XII. 2008, host: Cordia sp. S. I. Abdel-Razak coll., Institute (PPRI), Agricultural Research Identified by G. W. Watson; 2 ♀♀ Experimental Farm of Agricultural Research center, Alex. Center (ARC), Sabahia, Baccous, P.O Egypt, VII. 2009, host: Psidum guajava S. I. Abdel-Razak coll, identified by G. W. Watson. Box 21616, Alexandria, Egypt. 3 ♀♀ MNHN, Paris, France no. 10126.1-3 from Guadeloupe on Coccoloba uvifera.

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Fourteen specimens from the Coccid collection of the Ministry of noted also that in one case of the examined specimens an Agriculture, Egypt (MAE) were described by Ezzat and Hussein, occasional submarginal tubercle occurs on the right side of dorsum. 1967 as P. floccifera were examined. They are labeled as follows: 4 Hamon and Williams (1984) [6] confirmed that the difference ♀♀ specimens from Chenopodium alum, Old Cairo, November 19, between P. floccifera and the closely related species P. urbicola is 1923; 2 ♀♀ specimens from Ficus sp., Sembellawin, October 28, that the former species have 4-11 submarginal tubercles while they 1929; 5 ♀♀ specimens, from guava, Meadi, March 9, 1939; 3♀♀ are lacking in the latter species. Tanaka et al (2006) [7] redescribed specimens from guava, Dikernes, September 17, 1940. P. urbicola Cockerell from Japan and mentioned that dorsal tubercles usually lacking. 3. Comments The similarity between P. urbicola and P. floccifera in the At the time of the extensive study on the classification of Family morphology is that both are elongate, slightly convex, light or dark Coccidae in Egypt by Ezzat and Hussein (1967) [2] there were only yellowish green, mottled with dark brown spots on dorsum. Ovisac two recorded species of the genus Pulvinaria; P. chrysanthemi Hall elongate, straight or curved ribbed longitudinally about 4 - 9 mm and P. floccifera (Westwood). They examined 14 ♀♀ specimens (Fig. 1). The morphological differences between those two related from the collection of the Plant protection Institute, Ministry of species were discussed by several authors (Qin and Gullan, 1992 [8]; Agriculture El Dokki, Cairo. They mentioned in their redescription Williams and Watson, 1990 [9]; Tanaka et al., 2006 [7]; Tanaka and that the submarginal tubercles are absent and gave a note that two Amano, 2007 [4]) & (Fig. 2, 3) and could be summarized in the slides were sent to the British Museum and identified as P. following table: floccifera in spite of the absence of submarginal tubercles. They

Diagnostic P. urbicola Cockerell P. floccifera (Westwood) character

Synonymy Pulvinaria urbicola Cockerell, 1893 Coccus flocciferus Westwood, 1870 Pulvinaria grabhami Cockerell, 1903 Pulvinaria camelicola Signoret, 1873 Pulvinaria antigoni Green, 1907 Coccus camelliae Westwood, 1876 Lecanium nicotianae Newstead, 1908 Coccus euphorbiae Westwood, 1876 Coccus nicotianae; Sanders, 1909 Pulvinaria linearis Targioni Tozzetti, Pulvinaria subterranea Newstead, 1917 1884 Pulvinaria africana Newstead, 1917 Pulvinaria brassiae Cockerell, 1895 Pulvinaria floccifera; Brain, 1920 Pulvinaria floccifera; Green, 1897 Pulvinaria peninsularis Ferris, 1921 Pulvinaria floccosa; Newstead, 1900 Coccus nicotianae; Mamet, 1943 Pulvinaria brassicae; King, 1902 Pulvinaria grabhami; Ben-Dov, 1993 Pulvinaria theae Froggatt, 1915 Chloropulvinaria floccifera; Borchsenius, 1952 Pulvinaria floccifera; Ben-Dov, 1993 Submarginal Absent 7-9 around body tubercles Subapical setae 3 2 Multilocular pores With 6-8 loculi around anal area in With 7 loculi around anal area in transverse band on each of posterior 4 transverse bands on abdomen, and few abdominal segments and 2 on each of lateral hind coxa. anterior abdominal segments and in group lateral each hind coxa.

Fig 1: P. urbicola field appearance on Withania somniflora, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University.

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Fig 2: P. urbicola adult female morphological carractrastic (afterTanaka, H., H. Amano and T. Uesato, 2006).

Fig 3: P. Floccifira adult female morphological carractrastic (afterTanaka, H.and H. Amano, 2007).

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Our revision of the identification of the specimens of MAE collection led to make sure that they are P. urbicola. Therefore, all the material originally labeled as P. floccifera in this collection should be P. urbicola because of absence of submarginal tubercles

4. Conclusion It can be concluded that P. urbicola can be separated clearly from P. floccifera by lacking submarginal tubercles which is 7-9 around body in P. floccifera and by the 2 subapical seta located in the anal plate which is 3 in P. floccifera.

5. Acknowledgements Authors are grateful to Dr. Youssef Dewer, Department of Biological Chemistry and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK – Agricultural Research Center, Egypt for his great effort in revising the manuscript. Appreciation is also extended to Prof. Dr. Zeinat K. Mohammad, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt for arranging specimens loans for this study.

6. References 1. Abdel-Razak SI. First record of the urbicola soft scale, Pulvinaria urbicola Cockerell, 1893 (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in Egypt. Alexandria Science Exchange Journal 2012; 33(3):206- 208. 2. Ezzat YM, Hussein NA. Redescription and classification of the family Coccidae in U.A.R. (Homoptera: Coccoidea). Bull Soc Ent d'Egypte 1967; 51:359-426. 3. Ben-Dov Y, Miller DR, Gibson GAP. ScaleNet. http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/catalogs/coccidae/Pulvinariaflocci fera.htm. 19 june, 2014. 4. Tanaka H, Amano H. Redescription of Pulvinaria floccifera (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccidea). Species Diversity 2007, 12, 211-215. 5. Mohammad ZK, Ghabbour MW. Updating list of super family Coccoidea (Hemiptera) as known to exist in Egypt. J Egypt German Soc Zool 2008, 56E:147-162. 6. Hamon AB, Williams ML. The soft scale insects of Florida (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae). In: of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas. Fla. Dept. of Agric. & Consumer Serv. Div. Plant Ind., Gainesville, 1984, 194. 7. Tanaka H, Amano H, Uesato T. A new record of Pulvinaria urbicola Cockerell, 1893 (Hemiptera, Coccidae) from Japan. Jpn J Syst Entomol 2006; 12(2):177-181. 8. Qin TK, Gullan PJ. A revision of the Australian pulvinariine soft scales (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccoidea). J Nat History 1992; 26:103-164. 9. Williams DJ, Watson GW. The Scale Insects of the Tropical South Pacific Region. Part 3: The Soft Scales (Coccidae) and Other Families. CAB International Institute of Entomology, London, UK. 1990, 267.

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