Megapulvinaria maxima (Green, 1904)

(Figs 35, 36)

Pulvinaria maxima Green, 1904a: 206

Diagnosis. Dorsum with anal plates each with 1 cylindrical discal seta, and 3 spinose and/or truncate setae on inner margin and apex (Figs 35D, 36G); dorsal setae conical (Fig. 36A); tubular ducts sparsely scattered (Fig. 36F). Marginal setae stout and truncate, of 2 types (one long and slender; the other much shorter and thicker) (Figs 35C, 36B). Stigmatic clefts each containing 4–8 stigmatic spines (Fig. 36C). Venter with multilocular disc-pores usually each with 10 loculi, mainly present on posterior area of abdomen (Fig. 36H); antenna 8 segmented (Fig. 36M) (partially adopted from Hodgson 1994; Wang & Feng 2012b).

Material examined. 8 ♀♀, LAOS, Nan Dist., Sayaboury Prov., 29.x.2014, coll. J.Y. Choi, on Dimocarpus longan Lour. (Sapindaceae); 1 ♀, Beng Dist., Oudomxay Prov., 25.viii.2016, coll. P.P. Soysouvanh, on Lagerstroemia macrocarpa Wall. (Lythraceae); 2 ♀♀, Xaythany Dist., Vientiane Capital, 16.i.2017, on Mangifera sp. ( Anacardiaceae) (same collector); 2 ♀♀, on Excoecaria cochinchinensis Lour. (Euphorbiaceae) (same locality, date and collector).

Hosts. Polyphagous. According to García Morales et al. (2016), M. maxima has been recorded from plants belonging to 24 genera in 15 families.

Distribution. Mainly known from the Oriental Region (India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam (García Morales et al. 2016); Laos (new country record).

Economic importance. Prabhakar et al. (2008) noted that M. maxima is a pest of cotton ( Gossypium spp.), mulberry ( Morus spp.), neem ( Azadirachta indica) and physic nut ( Jatropha curcas).

Remarks. Megapulvinaria maxima is similar to M. orientalis (Reyne) but differs in having 4–10 setae present between antennae, whereas M. orientalis has only 2 interantennal setae. For comparisons with other species of Megapulvinaria, see Wang & Feng (2012b).