Valid Names Results

Dimargarodes meridionalis (Morrison, 1927) (Margarodidae: Dimargarodes)

Nomenclatural History

• Margarodes meridionalis Morrison 1927: 102. Type data: USA: Holotype and paratypes, Florida, Fort Myers, on ground, January 1918; collected by Geo. M. Lummis; paratypes from USA, Georgia, Chula, May 1918, collected by A.C. Lewis.. Holotype, female, Type depository: Washington: United States National Entomological Collection, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, District of Columbia, USA; accepted valid name
• Coccionella meridionalis (Morrison, 1927); Lindinger 1954: 615. change of combination
• Dimargarodes meridionalis (Morrison, 1927); Jakubski 1965: 102. change of combination

Common Names

• centipede grass ground pearl Gill1993
• Perla de tierra del césped GillChFo2022

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 3 | Genera: 7

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• McDani1966: pp.239 ( Adult (F) ) [North America]
• McDani1965: pp.22 ( Adult (F) ) [North America]
• Morris1928: pp.77-78 ( Adult (F) ) [Species of Margarodes.]

Remarks

• Structure: Colour photograph of cyst by Gill (1993). Live adult female wingless, egg-shaped, body up to 3 mm long, pinkish to reddish brown depending on age; 3 pairs of legs present, front pair of legs large and claw-like, used for digging in soil. Immature stages form pearl-like cysts in the soil and are sedentary, up to 2.5 mm long. Adult male, when present, about 2 mm long, pinkish with 1 pair of clear wings. (R.Gill in T. Kondo & G. Watson, 2022)
• Biology: Found in Georgia, USA, on roots of various grasses, in great masses estimated to contain up to 1.5 million cysts in an area of 1000 square feet (Jakubski, 1965). Dimargarodes meridionalis are found in the soil up to 25 cm below the surface. Clusters of pinkish-white eggs, covered in a white waxy sac, are deposited in the soil from March to June. The first-stage nymphs emerge from eggs approximately 9–15 days later, attach to the roots of turf grass, and enclose themselves in a hard, yellow-brown, spherical shell or cyst. These cysts range in size from about 0.5 to 1.5 mm. Ground pearls overwinter in the cyst stage and females reach maturity in late spring. Females can reproduce without mating and adult males are rarely observed. One generation may last from 1 to 2 years, or possibly longer depending on environmental conditions. There are no known natural enemies of D. meridionalis. (EFSA2019)
• Economic Importance: In USA, Arizona it is a serious pest of lawns, golf courses and grass farms. A pest of grasses in California. Found to infest grape vineyards in California (Gill, 1993).
• General Remarks: Description and illustration of adult female by Morrison (1928), McDaniel (1965) and by Gill (1993).

Illustrations

Citations