Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) associated with avocado crop, Persea americana Mill. (Lauraceae) in Valle del Cauca and neighboring departments of Colombia

Abstract

Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of avocado, Persea americana Mill. (Lauraceae) were collected in the State of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The study was conducted for one year, during October 2008–October 2009. As a result of this study, 34 scale insect species in seven families (Coccidae, Diaspididae, Kerriidae, Margarodidae, Monophlebidae, Pseudococcidae and Putoidae) were collected. Together with previous records, the number of scale insects collected on avocado in Colombia increased to 44 species and to 137 species worldwide. Species commonly collected on avocado in Colombia include Hemiberlesia cyanophylli (Signoret), Pseudoparlatoria parlatorioides (Comstock) (Diaspididae), Ceroplastes rubens Maskell, Coccus hesperidum L., Protopulvinaria pyriformis (Cockerell), Pulvinaria psidii Maskell, Saissetia neglecta De Lotto (Coccidae) and Ferrisia williamsi Kaydan and Gullan (Pseudococcidae). Twenty-two scale insect species are new records on avocado for Colombia of which nine species are new records worldwide, namely, Lindingaspis rossi (Maskell), Pseudischnaspis bowreyi (Cockerell) (Diaspididae), Pulvinaria psidii Maskell, Saissetia neglecta De Lotto (Coccidae), Ferrisia kondoi Kaydan and Gullan, Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi Gimpel and Miller, Ps. landoi (Balachowsky) (Pseudococcidae), Eurhizococcus colombianus Jakubski (Margarodidae) and Austrotachardiella colombiana Kondo and Gullan (Kerriidae).