Eight new Australian species of Poliaspis are described and illustrated: Poliaspis alluviasp. n., Poliaspis araucariaesp. n., Poliaspis ceraflorasp. n., Poliaspis naambasp. n., Poliaspis nalbosp. n., Poliaspis narungga sp. n., Poliaspis ozothamnaesp. n., and Poliaspis waibenensissp. n. Two described species are transferred into Poliaspis and are redescribed and illustrated: Lineaspis callitris ...

What are scale insects? Scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) are a group of small, plant feeding insects closely related to aphids and whiteflies. They are characterized by their unusual shapes, so much so that it is sometimes hard to recognize them as insects or even as animals! Adult females hardly ever move, lacking wings and often even legs. Instead of being able to run away...

The fore wings of scale insect males possess reduced venation compared with other insects and the homologies of remaining veins are controversial. The hind wings are reduced to hamulohalterae. When adult males are prepared using the standard methods adopted to females and nymphs, i.e. using KOH to clear the specimens, the wings become damaged or deformed, an so these structures are not usually ...

In several families of scale insects (coccids), the sex of an embryo is determined by the number of genetically active genomes present (one = males, two = females). In mealybugs (Pseudococcidae), both males and females develop from fertilized eggs but, in the embryos that develop into males, the set of chromosomes (genome) of paternal origin (PG) becomes heterochromatic (H) and genetically inac...

A new gall-inducing genus and species of felt scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) found on the leaves and twigs of Matayba guianensis (Sapindaceae) in Brazil is described: Bystracoccus Hodgson gen n. and B. mataybae Hodgson, Isaias & Oliveira sp. n.  This is the first record of an eriococcid inducing leaf and stem galls on Sapindaceae and is only the second example of a member of the Er...

The lac insects belong to the genus Kerria (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Kerriidae) and are commercially exploited worldwide for the production of lac, which comes from their waxy test and has diverse industrial applications. The insects are maintained by the Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums as distinctive lines that are cultivated and commercialized in the lac producing areas of India. The...

Insect galls of a protected remnant of the Atlantic Forest tableland from Rio de Janeiro State (Brazil): Galling insects in Rio de Janeiro state are known by their great diversity, despite most of the surveys have been done in restinga. This paper investigated the insect galls from a remnant of Atlantic Forest located in São Francisco de Itabapoana municipality, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Th...