Bigger, M. 1988 The insect pests of forest plantation trees in the Solomon Islands.. Solomon Islands' Forest Record No. 4, pp. v + 190.

Notes: This book is concerned with the insect pests of forest plantations occurring in the Solomon Islands. Three introductory chapters give basic outlines of insect morphology, development and classification. The ecology of forest plantations and natural and chemical control of forest pests are discussed in subsequent chapters. The following 7 chapters list pest species of Isoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Cerambycidae, Platypodidae and Scolytidae, Curculionidae, and Bostrychidae and Lyctidae, with brief details of their distribution, biology, food plants and type of damage caused. Plant species are listed with their pests in an appendix. MARGARODIDAE Icerya seychellarum (Westwood) A rather large mealybug up to 9 mm long with untidy white powdery tufts of wax dorsally and long fine yellowish wax hairs laterally. In the Solomons it has been recorded on Macaranga aleuritoides, Clerodendrum sp., and Ficus glandulifera. It occurs sporadically from East Africa and Madagascar to Japan and in the Pacific from the Solomons, New Caledonia, Fiji, the Cook Islands, American Samoa and the Society Islands. Steatococcus samaraius Morrison Similar to the above and occurring on Macaranga aleuritoides, M. tanarius and cocoa, tended by Oecophylla smaragdina and Anoplolepis longipes. PSEUDOCOCCIDAE The members of this family are mostly oval in shape, covered with a fine white powder, and with fringes of thick white wax filaments sticking out from the body in a flat plane. Cataenococcus sp. nr. hispidus (Morrison) Found around the leaf bases of Campnosperma brevipetiolata. Cataenococcus sp. Feeding on Garcinia sp. and tended by lridomyrmex cordatus. Criniticoccus sp. Feeding on the climbing aroid Epipremnum pinnatum and tended by lridomyrmex cordatus. Dysmicoccus sp. A mealybug feeding on Terminalia brassii. Laingiococcus painei (Laing) This mealybug has a reddish body covered with a white fluffy wax secretion. It is common on cocoa, Anona muricata and coconut where it is tended by Oecophylla smaragdina; it has also been collected from Gmelina moluccana. Maculicoccus malaitensis (Cockerell) Collected from Ficus gladulifera. Mutabilicoccus simmondsi (Laing) Another mealybug found at the leaf bases of Campnosperma brevipetiolata. Mutabilicoccus sp. This species is found in the sheathing leaf bases of Ficus theothrastoides and behind the large stipules of Pometia pinnata where it is tended by Technomyrmex sp. Also found on C. brevipetiolata. Nipaecoccus sp. Collected from Ficus congesta. Palmicultor browni (Williams) Collected from coconut on which it is tended by Oecophylla smaragdina. Planococcus pacificus Cox This is a very common mealybug of the Pacific region and is widely distributed from New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, the Samoas, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, the Austral Islands and the Society Islands (Williams, 1982). In the Solomons it feeds on the leaves and shoots of Cordia alliodora, Ficus congesta, Macaranga aleuritoides, Antidesma sp., Clerodendrum sp. and Dilochandrone spathacea and on pods of cocoa. It is tended by Oecophylla smaragdina, ?Solenopsis sp. and Pheidole megacephala. Planococcus sp. Collected from Hibiscus tiliaceus. Pseudococcus sp. ?cocotis Maskell Collected from an unidentified tree, tended by Iridomyrmex cordatus. Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti) This mealybug, as the name implies, has a pair of long wax filaments extending out behind as well as a lateral fringe of shorter filaments. It was collected from Ficus sp. Pseudococcus sp. nr. marshallensis Beardsley Collected from Epipremnum pinnatum, tended by Technomyrmex sp. Pseudococcus solomonensis Williams Collected from Canarium indicum. Pseudococcus sp. Collected from Breynia cernua. Rastrococcus sp. Collected from Ficus sp. Rastrococcus sp. Collected from Alstonia spectabilis and Macaranga tanarius. COCCIDAE The members of this family are covered by a relatively hard, smooth scale. Ceroplastes sp. ?pseudoceriferus Green Similar to the above species but larger, it has been collected from Ficus congesta. Ceroplastes rubens Maskell Known as the red wax scale, this insect has a smooth, thick, humped central portion to the scale which is red to pink with four narrow bands of white. It is about 4 mm long. It has been collected from leaf petioles of Ficus glandulifera. It is known from Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, the Marianas, Guam, New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Western Samoa and the Cook Islands. In Australia it is a pest of citrus and in New Guinea heavy infestations have been recorded on Pinus caribaea (Merrifield and Howcroft, 1975). Coccus acuminatus (Green) A very flat, smooth green scale with an elliptical outline 2-3 times longer than its breadth and found on the leaves of Ficus glandulifera. Coccus hesperidum Linnaeus A brown to pale yellow, flat, smooth scale, oval in shape and about 4 mm long by 3 mm broad. It has a widespread distribution throughout the tropics as a pest of citrus and other fruits. In the Pacific it is known from the Marianas, New Guinea, Australia, the Solomons, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Fiji, Western Samoa and Hawaii. It is common in the Solomons and has been recorded from a number of hosts including Eucalyptus deglupta, Dysoxylum sp., Cordia alliodora, Anthocephalus cadamba, Canarium indicum, Terminalia calamansanai, T. brassii, Costus speciosus, Pometia pinnata, coconut and Premna corymbosa. It is tended for its honeydew by Oecophylla smaragdina and Iridomyrmex cordatus. Coccus sp. ?hesperidum Linnaeus Collected from Terminalia calamansanai. Coccus longulus (Douglas) Collected from foliage of Albizia falcata. Coccus sp. nr. moestus DeLotto (two species) Collected from Pometia pinnata, tended by Iridomyrmex cordatus. Coccus viridis (Green) A flat green sclae of widespread distribution and important in many tropical countries as a pest of coffee. In the Pacific it is known from the Carolines, the Marianas, New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, the Samoas, the Society Islands and Hawaii. In the Solomons it has been collected from foliage of Plumeria rubra, Cordia alliodora, Campnosperma brevipetiolata and Anthocephalus cadamba. ?Parasaissetia sp. Collected from Pipturus argenteus, tended by Iridomyrmex cordatus. Platylecanium sp. Collected from Ficus glandulifera Protopulvinaria mangiferae (Green) This very common scale is very similar in appearance to Coccus hesperidum but is green, mottled with dark brown. It is evident that a complex of closely similar species are found in the Pacific and the species group is badly in need of revision. It is known from Africa, India, Indonesia and South America as a pest of mango. It is found on the leaves and shoots of Citrus aurantifolia, Eucalyptus deglupta, Breynia cernua, Anthocephalus cadamba, Gnetum gnemon, Terminalia brassii, Ficus theothrastoides, Pimeleodendron amboinicum, Campnosperma brevipetiolata and Ficus glandulifera, and is tended by Iridomyrmex cordatus. Protopulvinaria sp. nr. mangiferae (Green) Collected from Eugenia sp., Ficus theothrastoides, F. septica, Pimeleodendron amboinicum and Alstonia spectabilis, tended by Iridomyrmex cordatus. Protopulvinaria sp. nr. mangiferae (Green) Collected from unidentified host, tended by Iridomyrmex cordatus. Protopulvinaria sp. nr. mangiferae (Green) Collected from Merremia pacifica, tended by Oecophylla smaragdina. Saissetia neglecta DeLotto A rather humped scale, harder than those of Coccus species and brownish green in colour. Collected from Cordia alliodora, Eucalyptus deglupta, Terminalia brassii and Dilochandrone spathacea, tended by Solenopsis sp. Saissetia sp. Collected from Pometia pinnata. DIASPIDIDAE Aspidiella hartii (Cockerell) A minute white scale living on underground tubers of yam (Dioscorea sp.). In the Pacific it has been recorded from the Marianas, the Solomons, New Caledonia, Fiji and Wallis Island. Aspidiotus destructor Signoret A widespread scale which is an important and devastating pest of coconut. They are minute, flat, white, papery insects and can be present on the leaves in very great numbers. It is not common in the Solomon Islands but has been collected from coconut on Gizo. Chrysomphalus dictyospermi (Morgan) Known as the Spanish red scale this insect is a pest of coconut, oil palm and mango in many parts of the world. Collected from coconut in the Solomons. Hemiberlesia palmae (Cockerell) Collected from Ficus glandulifera. Lepidosaphes pometiae (Williams and Watson) Collected from shoots of Pometia pinnata. Pinnaspis buxi (Bouche) Collected from Piper species. Pinnaspis strachani (Cooley) Living on twigs and branches, the scales can occur in enormous numbers. The male, which is about 2 mm long, is more common than the female and carries a white oblong scale with longitudinal ridges. It is widely distributed throughout the tropics. Collected in the Solomons from Terminalia calamansanai and coconut. Pseudaulacaspis cockerel1i (Cooley) The male scale is white and elongate whilst the female is round and flat. They can appear in large numbers on twigs and branches as well as leaves. Collected from coconut in the Solomons. Pseudaulacaspis sp. Collected from Terminalia calamansanai. Unaspis citri (Comstock) The white males are about 1 mm long and are conspicuous on twigs and branches of citrus which they may completely cover. They have a widespread tropical distribution and in the Pacific have been recorded from Australia, the Solomons, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Wallis Island.