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.