FILE: <ch-72.htm> GENERAL INDEX [Navigate
to MAIN MENU ]
LONG-TAILED MEALYBUG Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti) -- Homoptera,
Pseudococcidae (Contacts) ----- CLICK on Photo to enlarge & search for Subject Matter with Ctrl/F. GO TO ALL: Bio-Control Cases
The long-tailed mealybug is distributed throughout tropical and
subtropical areas of the world where it attacks many kinds of plants,
including avocado, citrus and mango.
Flanders (1940) believed that because of its scarcity and high
parasitism in Australia, it was native to that continent. Shortly after its appearance in southern
California in 1933, biological control was begun based on data secured
earlier by Flanders (1940). The
parasitoids Anarhopus sydneyensis Timberlake from
Australia in 1934, Hungariella
peregrina (Compere) from
Brazil in 1935 and Anagyrus fusciventris Girault from
Hawaii in 1936, were introduced. All
three established, but A. sydneyensis became dominant
(Flanders 1940).
In 1943-45 additional outbreaks occurred in south California. DeBach (1949) and DeBach et al. (1949) showed that six parasitoids and eight
predators now attacked the long-tailed mealybug. The most abundant parasitoids in decreasing importance were Anarhopus sydneyensis, Hungariella
pretiosa, Coccophagus gurneyi and H. peregrina. Anagyrus fusciventris was not found. Abundant predators were brown lacewing, Sympherobius californica
Banks, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri and the green
lacewing, Chrysopa californica Coquillett. Although parasitoids were most important
during springtime, predators were believed to be the greatest mortality
factors (Kennett et al. 1999).
When P. longispinus invaded avocado in
California, Flanders (1944) reported that A.
sydneyensis and H. peregrina gave complete biological control. In Israel where biological control
importations of A. sydneyensis and H. peregrina were made in 1953, only H. peregrina
established (Rivnay 1968).
For further details on biological control effort and biologies of host
and natural enemies, please see the following (Clausen 1915, DeCastella &
French 1929, Compere & Flanders 1934, Flanders 1940a, 1940b; Joubert
1943, DeBach & Fleschner 1947, Bartlett & Lloyd 1958, Bennett &
Hughes 1959, Browning 1959, McKenzie 1967, Rosen 1967). REFERENCES: [Additional references may be
found at: MELVYL
Library ] Bartlett, B. R. & D. C. Lloyd. 1958.
Mealybugs attacking citrus in California-- a survey of their natural
enemies and the release of new parasites and predators. J. Econ. Ent. 51: 90-3. Bennett, F. D. & I. W. Hughes. 1959.
Biological control of insect pests in Bermuda. Bull. Ent. REs. 50: 423-36. Browning, T. O. 1959. The long-tailed
mealybug, Pseudococcus adonidum (L.) in South
Australia. Austral. J. Agric. Res.
10: 322-39. Clausen, C.
P. 1915. Mealybugs of citrus
trees. Calif. Agric. Expt. Sta. Bull.
258: 19-48. Compere, G.
1934. Anarhopus sydneyensis
Timb., an encyrtid parasite of Pseudococcus
longispinus (Targ.) recently
introduced into California from Australia.
J. Econ. Ent. 28: 966-73. DeBach, P.
1949. Population studies of
the long-tailed mealybug and its natural enemies on citrus trees in southern
California, 1946. Ecology
30: 14-25. DeBach. P.
& C. A. Fleschner. 1947.
Biological control of the long-tailed mealybug. Calif. Citrog. 33: 22-4. DeBach, P., C.
A. Fleschner & E. J. Dietrick. 1949.
Population studies of the long-tailed mealybug and its natural enemies
on citrus in southern California, 1947.
J. Econ. Ent. 42: 777-82. DeCastella, F. & C. French. 1929.
Mealy bug (Dactylopius
longispinus), a potential
vine pest. Victoria Dept. Agric. J. 27: 427-33. Flanders, S.
E. 1940. Biological control
of the long-tailed mealybug, Pseudococcus
longispinus. J. Econ. Ent. 33: 754-59. Flanders, S.
E. 1940a. Biological control
of the long-tailed mealybug Pseudococcus
longispinus. J. Econ. Ent. 33: 754-59. Flanders, S.
E. 1940b. Biological control
of long-tailed mealybug on citrus and avocado. Calif. Citrog. 25:
146: 154-55. Flanders, S. E. 1944. Control of the
long-tailed mealybug on avocados by hymenopterous parasites. J. Econ. Ent. 37: 308-09. Joubert, C. J.
1943. The introduction into
the Union of South Africa of some natural enemies of mealy bugs. J. Ent. Soc. So. Africa 6: 131-36. Kennett, C. E., J. A. McMurtry & J. W.
Beardsley. 1999. Biological control in subtropical and
tropical crops. In: Bellows, T. S. & T. W. Fisher (eds.), Handbook of Biological Control: Principles and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, New York. 1046 p. McKenzie, H.
L. 1967. Mealybugs of
California. University of California
Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles.
526 p. Rivnay, E.
1968. Biological control of
pests in Israel (a review 1905-1965).
Israel J. Ent. 3: 1-156. Rosen, D.
1967. Biological and
integrated control of citrus pests in Israel. J. Econ. Ent. 60:
1422-27. |