The scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of the Maltese Archipelago Author Mifsud, David Institute of Earth Systems, Division of Rural Sciences and Food Systems, University of Malta, Msida, Malta. david.a.mifsud@um.edu.mt Author Mazzeo, Gaetana Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi agroalimentari e ambientali, University of Catania, Italy. Author Russo, Agatino Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi agroalimentari e ambientali, University of Catania, Italy. Author Watson, Gillian W. Plant Pest Diagnostic Center, California Department of Food & Agriculture, Sacramento, California, U. S. A. text Zootaxa 2014 2014-09-25 3866 4 499 525 journal article 4339 10.11646/zootaxa.3866.4.3 a8118ca5-6988-4abd-8bb7-f0ef0020a93f 1175-5326 4930613 362D4DC7-7505-42C1-B438-9B195B48125C Dynaspidiotus britannicus ( Newstead, 1898 ) This is probably an erroneous record based on a misidentification. Borg (1932) recorded this species (as Aspidiotus britannicus ), as frequent in many places on Pittosporum tobira , Viburnum tinus , Euonymus japonicus , Hedera helix and others. However, there are no further records of this species from Malta and all recent records from the above-mentioned host-plants are Aspidiotus nerii . In addition, D. britannicus has never been recorded on either Pittosporum or Euonymus , whereas A. nerii has been recorded on all four of the above mentioned host plants. On the Dynaspidiotus britannicus catalogue page, ScaleNet ( Ben-Dov et al., 2014 ) says: “ Aspidiotus hederae ; Newstead, 1896: 279 . Misidentification; discovered by Newstead, 1898: 94 ”. Since Borg (1932) included Aspidiotus hederae Newst. non Vallot as a synonym of Aspidiotus britannicus , it seems likely that he was following Newstead’s misidentification. Dynaspidiotus britannicus is therefore excluded from the Maltese scale insect fauna.