Valid Names Results

Diaspidiotus africanus (Marlatt, 1908) (Diaspididae: Diaspidiotus)

Nomenclatural History

• Aspidiotus (Diaspidiotus) africanus Marlatt 1908c: 15. Type data: SOUTH AFRICA: Orange Free State, Bloemfontein, on Gleditsia triacanthos, Schinus molle, fig, almond and quince; W.J. Palmer, December 1907.. Syntypes, female, Type depository: Washington: United States National Entomological Collection, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, District of Columbia, USA; accepted valid name Illustr.
• Aspidiotus africanus Marlatt, 1908; Sanders 1909a: 51. change of combination
• Aspidiotus pectinatus Lindinger 1909e: 43. Type data: SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Province, on pear.. Syntypes, female, Type depository: Hamburg: Zoologisches Institut und Zoologisches Museum, Universitat von Hamburg, Germany; junior synonym (discovered by Muntin1971, 120).
• Aspidiotus (Diaspidiotus) pectinatus Lindinger, 1909; Brain 1918: 126. change of combination
• Hendaspidiotus africanus (Marlatt, 1908); MacGillivray 1921: 439. change of combination
• Furcaspis pectinata (Lindinger, 1909); MacGillivray 1921: 408. change of combination requiring emendation of specific epithet for agreement in gender
• Aspidiotus mashonae Hall 1929: 347. Type data: ZIMBABWE: Mazoe, on leaves of Combretum sp.. Syntypes, female, Type depository: London: The Natural History Museum, England, UK; junior synonym (discovered by Muntin1971, 120). Illustr.
• Aspidiotus (Diaspidiotus) mazoeensis Hall 1929: 351. Type data: ZIMBABWE: Mazoe, on branches of unknown plant.. Syntypes, female, Type depository: London: The Natural History Museum, England, UK; junior synonym (discovered by Muntin1971, 120). Illustr.
• Clavaspis africanus (Marlatt, 1908); Balachowsky 1956: 92. change of combination
• Clavaspis mazoeensis (Hall, 1929); Balachowsky 1956: 96. change of combination
• Clavaspis pectinatus (Lindinger, 1909); Balachowsky 1956: 98. change of combination
• Diclavaspis mashonae (Hall, 1929); Balachowsky 1956: 102. change of combination
• Clavaspis betrokensis Mamet 1959a: 468. Type data: MADAGASCAR: Betroka, on Sclerocarya caffra.. Holotype, female, Type depository: Paris: Museum National d'Histoire naturelle, France; junior synonym (discovered by Muntin1971, 120). Illustr.
• Diaspidiotus africanus (Marlatt, 1908); Borchsenius 1966: 321. change of combination
• Diaspidiotus pectinatus (Lindinger, 1909); Borchsenius 1966: 325. change of combination

Common Names

• grey scale Muntin1971

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 13 | Genera: 25

Foes:

Families: 2 | Genera: 3

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• Balach1956: pp.92, 100 ( Adult (F) ) [Africa]
• Brain1918: pp.124 ( Adult (F) ) [South Africa]

Remarks

• Systematics: Diaspidiotus africanus is similar to D. mccombi and typial africanus differs from it in having only two dorsopygidial macroducts in the first poriferous furrow, in having none, or in either per cent of the specimens only 1 macroduct dorsosubmarginally on segment (iv), and in apparently having fewer perivulvar pores. (Munting, 1971) In Marlatt's description of africanus (1908), he says "plates minute inconspicuous", which is contradicted by the photograph accompanying the description. An examination o fsome of Marlatt's type material revealed that there were two species involved. (Munting, 1971) The only characters which might possibly have justified the separation of mashonae from africanus was the degree of deveopent of the second lobes, but this is apparently host-induced, and Munting (1971) determined that mashonae was a junior synonym of africanus.
• Structure: Female scale dull opaque brown, circular, 1.5 mm in diameter; moderately convex, with fairly prominent central nipple, and slightly annulated as in perniciosus; when rubbed, resinous exuviae appear, and when old and massed the ashen appearance of perniciosus is presented (Marlatt, 1908c). Female scale circular to broadly oval, moderately convex; exuviae more or less central and brown in colour; secretionary area a dirty white or dull brown; ventral scale, extremely thin, remaining attached to the host plant as a thin white film (Hall, 1929).
• Economic Importance: A pest of deciduous fruit trees in the Western Cape and Langkloof Valley in the Cape Province of South Africa (Munting, 1971).
• General Remarks: Marlatt (1908c) described and discussed intraspecific variation of some taxonomic characters in the adult female. Munting (1971) extensively studied the intraspecific variation of taxonomic characters in the adult female, and have shown that several are host-induced variations. Description and illustration of adult female by Marlatt (1908c), Brain (1918), Hall (1929), Balachowsky (1956) and by Munting (1971).

Illustrations

Citations