Valid Names Results

Pseudococcus variabilis is now Formicococcus lindingeri (Bodenheimer, 1924) (Pseudococcidae: Formicococcus)

Pseudococcus variabilis is also an old combination for the names below:

Pseudococcus inconstans

Nomenclatural History

• Pseudococcus lindingeri Bodenheimer 1924: 81. Type data: ISRAEL: Miqwe Yisrael, on Panicum colonum. Lectotype, female, by subsequent designation (BenDov1980,269). Type depository: Bet Dagan: Department of Entomology, The Volcani Center, Israel; accepted valid name Illustr.
• Pseudococcus variabilis Hall 1924: 5. Type data: EGYPT: Sheikh Fadl, on Saccharum officinarum, and ISRAEL: Jaffa, on S.officinarum. Syntypes, female, Type depository: London: The Natural History Museum, England, UK; junior synonym (discovered by BenDov1980, 269). Illustr.
• Planococcus variabilis (Hall, 1924); Ezzat & McConnell 1956: 101. change of combination
• Planococcus lindingeri (Bodenheimer, 1924); Ben-Dov 1980: 269. change of combination
• Planococcoides lindingeri (Bodenheimer, 1924); Cox & Ben-Dov 1986: 482. change of combination
• Formicococcus lindingeri (Bodenheimer, 1924); Williams & Matile-Ferrero 2005a: 150. change of combination
• Planococcus lindingeri (Bodenheimer, 1924); Danzig & Gavrilov-Zimin 2015: 18. revived combination (previously published)
• Formicococcus lindingeri (Bodenheimer, 1924); Evans & Abd-Rabou 2023: 18. revived combination (previously published)

Common Names

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 11 | Genera: 23

Foes:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• EvansAb2023: pp.8-13 ( Adult (F) ) [Pseudococccidae of Egypt]
• CoxBe1986: pp.482 ( Adult (F) ) [Mediterranean basin] Key as: Planococcoides lindingeri

Remarks

• Systematics: This species is here (in ScaleNet) assigned to Formicococcus following the synonymy of Planococcoides with Formicococcus, by Williams (2004a). However, Danzig & Gavrilov-Zimin (2015) transferred this species to Planococcus because it has the usual number of cerarii without numerous conical setae and six anal ring setae. It was returned to Formicococcus by Evans and Abd-Rabou, 2023.
• Structure: Hall’s illustration of the posterior margin of the species shows the setae on the penultimate segment of the abdomen (A7) as having 2 conical spine-like setae and 3 long flagellate auxiliary setae and no anal bar on the ventral surface of the anal lobe. (Evans & Abd-Rabou, 2023)
• Economic Importance: This mealybug occurs on sugar-cane (Williams, 1970DJ) and on roots of avocado seedlings in nurseries (Cox & Ben-Dov, 1986) but there is no evidence that it is injurious to these crops.
• General Remarks: Good description and illustration of the adult female given by Williams (1970DJ). Good description of the adult female given by Tang (1992).

Illustrations

Citations