Aspidiotus ( Chrysomphalus ) albopictus Cockerell 1898a: 433 Aspidiotus albopictus leonis Townsend & Cockerell 1898: 179 Aspidiotus koebelei Townsend & Cockerell 1898: 179 Chrysomphalus albopictus (Cockerell) Cockerell 1899a: 396 Aspidiotus albopictus (Cockerell) Cockerell 1905a: 46 Aspidiotus leonis (Townsend & Cockerell) McKenzie 1939: 53 Acutaspis albopicta (Cockerell) Ferris 1941a: 329 Armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) associated with avocados (Persea americana) in México’s main production areas, with keys for identification and natural enemies Lázaro-Castellanos, Carlos González-Hernández, Héctor Nápoles, Jesús Romero- Ortega-Arenas, Laura D. Equihua-Martínez, Armando Ochoa-Ascencio, Salvador Zootaxa 2023 2023-10-18 5357 2 241 269 9VXQ (Cockerell) Cockerell 1898 [151,534,902,929] Insecta Diaspididae Acutaspis Animalia Hemiptera 7 248 Arthropoda species albopicta      Aspidiotus( Chrysomphalus) albopictus Cockerell 1898a: 433.     Aspidiotus albopictus leonis Townsend & Cockerell 1898: 179.     Aspidiotus koebelei Townsend & Cockerell 1898: 179.    Chrysomphalus albopictus(Cockerell);  Cockerell 1899a: 396.    Aspidiotus albopictus(Cockerell);  Cockerell 1905a: 46.    Aspidiotus leonis(Townsend & Cockerell);  McKenzie 1939: 53.    Acutaspis albopicta(Cockerell);  Ferris 1941a: 329.   Field diagnosis. Adult female scale cover circular to slightly oval, flat, or slightly convex, and rigid, 1.2‒1.5 mmin diameter, with subcentral exuviae; cover usually dark brown but sometimes gray or grayish white, mainly in immatures. Adult female body pyriform with acute posterior end, white to creamy white in life, about 1.2 mmlong.   Discussion.  Acutaspis albopictacan be confused with  Ac. scutiformisbecause of the similar color and shape of the scale cover; morphologically, in slide mounts, these species can be differentiated by the relative sizes of the paraphyses on L2. In  Ac. albopicta, the paraphysis on the external angle of L2 is almost twice the size of that on the internal angle, whereas in  Ac. scutiformisthese two paraphyses are almost the same size or the external paraphysis is only slightly larger than the internal one.  Habits on the hosts. During sampling,  Ac. albopictawas found on branches, leaves and fruits; it was observed forming large colonies on fruits and leaf upper and lower surfaces, as well as small colonies or isolated individuals on the different substrates. It was found alone or sharing space with other diaspidid species such as  H. cyanophylli ,  H. diffinis,  H. lataniaeand D.near  coccois.   Hosts.  Acutaspis albopictais polyphagous; it has been recorded attacking members of 14 plant genera belonging to 13 families worldwide. Some of these plants are economically important, such as coconut, avocado and citrus ( García Morales et al.2016). In this study, the scale was found on the avocado varieties Fuerte, Hass and Hass-Méndez.   Distribution. The species is reported to be present in nine countries in the Americas, from USAto Brazil. In Méxicoit has been recorded in the states of Colima, Guerrero, Morelos, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas( García Morales et al.2016). González Hernández & Atkinson (1984) collected  Ac. albopictaon avocado in Tetela de Ocampo, Puebla, México. In our study it was found in the following states and orchards:  Morelos: Xolosuchitl 1 and Tlalnepantla 1; and  Jalisco: La Quinta, Fruticola GMI-3 Marias, Agro Leal, and Loma Delgada 1.  Natural enemies. The following hymenopteran parasitoids have been reported attacking  Ac. albopicta:  Paraphytis acutaspidisRosen & DeBach (Aphelinidae), and  Signiphorasp. (Signiphoridae)( García Morales et al.2016; Noyes 2019). In the present study, the following species were found parasitizing it:  Aphytis holoxanthus(6F),  Aph. lepidosaphes(18F, 4M),  Aph. lingnanensis(13F, 5M),  Aph. melinus(3F, 6M),  Signiphora flavella(1F) and  Pseudhomalopoda prima(1F).