Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha, Coccomorpha) on host plants from family Ericaceae in Croatia

Abstract

During ten years of faunistic research on scale insects in Croatia (2006-2015), ten Scale Insect (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) species from four families were found on eight host plants from family Ericaceae. Following species of scale insects were recorded: Coccidae: Coccushesperidum L., Saissetia oleae (Olivier); Diaspididae: Aspidiotus nerii Bouche, Chrysomphalus dictyospermi (Morgan), Diaspidiotus bavaricus (Lindinger); Margarodidae: Icerya purchasi (Maskell) and Pseudococcidae: Nipaecoccus delassusi (Balachowsky), Planococcus citri (Risso), Peliococcus calluneti (Lindinger) and Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti). Following materials and methods were used in conducted research: visual inspections, collecting of plant material, storing and preservation of samples, analysis of samples under stereomicroscope, preparation of microscopic slides and identification of species. Specimens were slide mounted under the dissecting stereomicroscope and identified. The most frequently recorded species were C. hesperidum and N. delassusi, which were found on almost half of the samples of collected host plants form family Ericaceae.