Valid Names Results

Kermes quercus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Kermesidae: Kermes)

Nomenclatural History

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Foes:

Families: 7 | Genera: 13

Associates:

Families: 1 | Genera: 4

Geographic Distribution

Countries: 24

Keys

  • Hodgso2020: pp.153-154 ( Adult (M) ) [Kermesidae]
  • Podsia2014: pp.327 ( Adult (F) First instar Second instar (F) Second instar (M) Third instar (F) ) [Instars]
  • Kozarz1992: pp.66 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to species of Kermes]
  • Danzig1971d: pp.824 ( Adult (F) ) [Key to species of family Kermococcidae] Key as: Kermococcus quercus
  • Danzig1964: pp.635 ( Adult (F) ) [Kermococcus species in SSSR] Key as: Kermococcus quercus
  • Borchs1960d: pp.36 ( Adult (F) ) [Species of Kermococcus] Key as: Kermococus quercus

Remarks

  • Systematics: Fernald (1903b) lists several authors giving the combination Lecanium quercus under her treatment of Kermes roboris. It is uncertain what the intention of this was. Perhaps, they belonged with her treatment of K. quercus and were misplaced. Perhaps the authors in question intended "quercus" to be a junior synonym of "roboris." Second-instar females of K. bytinskii and K. quercus have 5 or 6- segmented antennae, and short, 3-segmented legs; these characters are shared with the second-instar females of the Nearctic K. cockerelli Ehrhorn, K. concinnulus Cockerell and K. rimarum Ferris (Baer & Kosztarab, 1985).
  • Structure: Adult female is heart shaped, venter wedge-shaped, bulging. The derm has only a transverse furrow and is a dark brown (Kosztarab & Kozár, 1988). The observations of serial semithin sections as well as ultrastructural analyses of all the life stages of K. quercus showed that numerous yeast-like microorganisms were present in the cytoplasm of fat body cells in the feeding stages of the host, i.e. in the settled first-instar nymphs, the second-instar female nymphs, the third-instar female nymphs and adult females. Microorganisms were absent in the second-instar male nymphs, which feed only until winter diapause and migrate at the beginning of spring from the bark crevices to the surface, where they develop into prepupae. They were not found in completely non-feeding stages, i.e. in prepupae, pupae and adult males. They were also absent in fully-grown eggs containing young embryos and newly hatched larvae (crawlers). In the feeding stages the yeast-like microorganisms were observed in the fat body cells, but were never found in other organs of the female, such as the ovaries, gut, muscles, nervous system. The presence of these microorganisms in the body of females of K. quercus did not cause any damage to the structure of the ovaries and the course of oogenesis.
  • Biology: This species has one generation per year, overwinters as second instars and molts to adult at the end of April or early May in Germany. They mate and start laying eggs from the end of May and the eggs hatch in 2-3 weeks. Ants and bees are commonly associated with this species drawn by the large quantities of honeydew (Kosztarab & Kozár, 1988). Under the climatic conditins of Poland, Kermes quercus (L.) is not a univoltine species. Each generation probably develops over two years. In the first year, individuals overwinter as 1st-instar nymph and in the second year as 2nd-instar nymphs. (Podsiadlo, 2011) In Poland, each life stage of K. quercus appeared every two years and reproduction took place in the June of even-numbered years. (Podsiadlo, 2013)
  • General Remarks: Hodgson (2002) used this species in a phylogenetic analysis of non-margarodid Coccoidea. Photograph in Malumphy, et al., 2009) Descriptions, illustrations and keys to the 1st-instar, 2nd-instar male, 2nd-instar female, 3rd-instar female and adult female of K. quercus are discussed in Podsiadlo (2014)

Illustrations

Citations