Saccharicoccus sacchari ( Cockerell, 1895 )

Caballero, Alejandro, Ramos-Portilla, Andrea Amalia & Kondo, Takumasa, 2017, Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) on sugarcane in Colombia, with description of a new species of Tillancoccus Ben-Dov (Coccidae), Zootaxa 4258 (5), pp. 490-500 : 497

Saccharicoccus sacchari ( Cockerell, 1895)

Hosts. Oligophagous, only known from Poaceae , on 11 plant species in 8 genera (Williams & Granara de Willink 1992, Ben-Dov 1994, Garcia et al. 2016).

Distribution. Cosmopolitan. In Colombia, it has been recorded in the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Cauca, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima and Valle del Cauca ( Kondo 2001, Kondo et al. 2008). Here we report S. sacchari for the first time from the department of Caquetá.

Diagnostic characters. Circulus large, commonly described either as “hour-glass” shaped or “dumb-bell” shaped; with long setae on each margin of the fifth and posterior abdominal segments; minute flat or duct-like pores present on integument surrounding each hind coxa (Williams & Granara de Willink 1992)

Economic importance and control. Saccharicoccus sacchari is a common pest of sugarcane in Hawaii ( Beardsley 1960; 1962). It has been considered as a possible vector of rice diseases in Cuba and India ( Uichanco & Villanueva 1932). In Colombia, it is considered a secondary pest of sugarcane crops, and rarely reaches levels to cause economic damage ( Bustillo 2013).

Material studied. COLOMBIA: Caldas: Supía , Vda. El Descanso, Fca. Ulises Valencia, 1136 m a.s.l., 05°25′13″N, 75°38′53″W, 21.x.2005, coll. A. Ramos, 10 ♀, UNAB voucher N° 835; Supía, Vda. Mudarra, Fca. René Posada, 1259 m a.s.l., 05°25′28″N, 75°38′33″W, 21.x.2005, coll. A. Ramos, 10 ♀, UNAB voucher N° 835 ; Caquetá: Florencia , Vda. Avenida Sebastopol, 826 m a.s.l., 01°44′57″N, 75°39′13″W, 13.x.2013, coll. J. Silva, associated with Pheidole biconstricta , 10 ♀, UNAB voucher N° 835; Florencia, Vda. La Carbona, 674 m a.s.l., 01°42′01″N, 75°02′26″W, 12.x.2013, coll. J. Silva, associated with Crematogaster sp. ( Formicidae ) and Wasmannia auropunctata (Formicidae) , 27 ♀, UNAB voucher N° 835; Florencia, Vda . San Luis, 458 m a.s.l., 01°41′09″N, 75°37′53″W, 12.x.2013, coll. J. Silva, associated with Linepithema sp. and Pheidole sp. ( Formicidae ), 18 ♀, UNAB voucher N° 835; Florencia, Vda . San Luis, 388 m a.s.l., 01°41′01″N, 75°37′42″W, 11.x.2013, coll. E. Rojas, associated with Pheidole sp., 12 ♀, UNAB voucher N° 835 ; Putumayo: Mocoa , Vda. Pumiyaco, Fca. Heraldo Viejo, 600 m a.s.l., 01°07ʹ6ʺN, 76°39ʹ15ʺW, 4.iii.2016, coll L. Parra, 11 ♀, UNAB voucher N° 835 ; Tolima: Líbano, Vda. Aguadurri, Fca. Cañabrava, 1280 m a.s.l., 04°55′36″N, 75°01′04″W, 7.vii.2006, coll. L. Lique, 8 ♀, UNAB voucher N° 835.

Note. All material collected off stems of S. officinarum .