Jayanthi, R., & Badar, M. 2000 Feeding sites of the scale insect, Melanaspis glomerata, and mealy bug, Saccharicoccus sacchari, in the sugarcane stem.. Bionotes 2(1): 11.

Notes: A laboratory study was conducted to determine whether M. glomerata and S. sacchari draw their nutrition from the same tissues within the sugarcane stem. Sugarcane stem pieces heavily infested by both species were fixed in formalin-acetic acid-alcohol (FAA; for a minimum period of 72 h) and transferred to 70% hydrofluoric acid (for a minimum period of one week). These were washed until thoroughly deacidified and transferred to FAA for an indefinite amount of time. Thin hand sections were cut and stained with 0.1% safranine and 0.1% toluidine blue. The proportion of stylets terminating in the parenchyma was 100 and 48.61% for M. glomerata and S. sacchari, respectively. The proportion of stylets terminating in the vascular tissues was 51.39% for S. sacchari and 0% for M. glomerata. The majority of the stylets of S. sacchari terminated in the vascular tissues, unlike in M. glomerata indicates that the primary feeding site for this pest is not the parenchyma (storage cells). It shows the different nutritional requirements for these two species of coccoids, although both are stem-sucking pests.