Hemiberlesia rapax (Comstock)

Lázaro-Castellanos, Carlos, González-Hernández, Héctor, Nápoles, Jesús Romero-, Ortega-Arenas, Laura D., Equihua-Martínez, Armando & Ochoa-Ascencio, Salvador, 2023, Armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) associated with avocados (Persea americana) in México’s main production areas, with keys for identification and natural enemies, Zootaxa 5357 (2), pp. 241-269 : 258-259

Hemiberlesia rapax (Comstock)

Aspidiotus rapax Comstock 1881b: 307 .

Aspidiotus acuminatus Targioni Tozzetti 1881: 151 .

Diaspis santali Maskell 1884: 122 .

Aspidiotus evonymi Targioni Tozzetti 1888: 420 .

Aspidiotus flavescens Green 1890: 21 .

Diaspis circulata Green 1896: 4 .

Aspidiotus (Hemiberlesia) rapax (Comstock) ; Cockerell, 1897a: 30.

Aspidiotus tricolor (Green) ; Townsend 1897: 185.

Hemiberlesia camelliae ( Signoret, 1869c) ; Leonardi 1897a: 124.

Aspidiotus rapax evonymi (Targioni Tozzetti) ; Cockerell 1899a: 396.

Aspidiotus lucumae Cockerell 1899b: 22 .

Aspidiotus (Hemiberlesia) camelliae (Signoret) ; Hempel 1900: 501.

Hemiberlesia argentina Leonardi 1911: 237 .

Aspidiotus santali (Maskell) ; Lindinger 1937: 180.

Aspidiotus argentina (Leonardi) ; Chou 1985: 301.

Hemiberlesia rapax (Comstock) ; Ferris, 1938: 244.

Field diagnosis. Adult female scale cover semicircular or slightly oval, convex, 1.0‒2.0 mm in diameter, white with yellow to brown subcentral exuviae. Body of live adult female membranous, yellow, pyriform, 0.7‒1.0 mm long; according to Watson (2002) it can vary from 1.0‒ 1.5 mm long.

Discussion. Hemiberlesia rapax is very similar to H. lataniae in terms of the color and shape of the waxy cover, as well as shape of the adult female body; however, they can be differentiated by morphological traits already discussed above and indicated in the key.

Habits on the hosts. The scale was collected from leaves, branches, and fruits, and was found isolated or in groups. It formed small or large colonies on leaves on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces, but on branches the colonies were less abundant. Hemiberlesia rapax was also found in small or medium infestations. The species was found alone or associated with other diaspidid scales, such as Asp. nerii , Ao. aurantii , Ac. scutiformis , Chr. dictyospermi , Da. aguacatae , Diaspis near coccois , H. cyanophylli , H. diffinis and H. lataniae .

Hosts. Hemiberlesia rapax is a highly polyphagous species that affects a wide variety of plants grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, attacking members of 188 genera belonging to 79 economically important plant families, including avocado, citrus, eucalyptus, guava, peach, pear and pomegranate, among others ( Watson 2002; García Morales et al. 2016). In this study we found it attacking the avocado varieties Fuerte, Granón, Hass and Mexicano 1.

Distribution. The scale has a cosmopolitan distribution; it is known in 71 countries on five continents ( Watson 2002; García Morales et al. 2016). In México, it has been reported in the states of Baja California, Michoacán, and Oaxaca ( García Morales et al. 2016). We found it in the following states and orchards: State of México: La Cruz, La Cabaña, Cochisquila 1, Cochisquila 2, Ixtlahuaca 2, Santa Ana, Lindero, San José 2, M1Texcoco, M2Texcoco, M3Texcoco, M4Texcoco, M5Texcoco and M6Texcoco; and Puebla: La Aguacatera and La Cuesta.

Natural enemies. Among the species of natural enemies that regulate H. rapax worldwide are reported species belonging to 17 genera in seven families of hymenopteran parasitoids, including: Aphelinidae : Ablerus (3), Aphytis (8), Coccophagus (3), Encarsia (6), Marietta (2), Pteroptrix (1); Encyrtidae : Coccidencyrtus (1), Comperiella (1), Gahaniella (1), Habrolepis (1), Neococcidencyrtus (1), Pseudectroma (1); Eulophidae : Tetrastichus (1); Eupelmidae : Eupelmus (1); Pteromalidae : Scutellista (1); Signiphoridae : Signiphora (7); also a predatory mite in Hemisarcoptidae : Hemisarcoptes (1) ( García Morales et al., 2016; Noyes 2019). In the present work, we obtained 39 individuals parasitizing H. rapax ; Aphelinidae : Aphytis pinnaspidis (1F), Aph. proclia (1F, 1M), Coccobius averini (1F), Cocc. juliae (1F, 1M), Encarsia aurantii (1F), E. citrina (1F), E. gaonae (4F), E. lounsburyi (2F), Marietta mexicana (1F, 1M); Encyrtidae : Metaphycus sp. 1 (1F); and Signiphoridae : Signiphora dozieri 1M), S. falcata (3F, 1M), S. fax (4F, 1M), S. flavella (6M) and S. merceti (6F).