Asterolecaniidae is a family of

scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...

s commonly known as pit scales or asterolecaniids. They typically cause a depression in the

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

plant's tissues and often cause distortion of the shoots. They are found on a range of hosts but are especially common on

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

s and a number of

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s. Members of this family occur in most regions of the world but are most abundant in the northern hemisphere.UDSA Agricultural Research Service
There are about 25

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

and 243 recorded

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

.Scale Net

Life cycle

Pit scales in this family have three female

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

s and five male instars. They are generally found on the leaves or shoots of the host plant and often cause deformation. The body is usually covered by a clear or transparent

test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

Eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

are laid under this and occupy the cavity formed as the adult female dies and shrinks in the autumn. Males are not usually found but when they do occur, they develop under a test in a similar fashion to the females.

Genera

* '' Abditicoccus'' * '' Acanthococcus'' * '' Amorphococcus'' * '' Asterodiaspis'' * '' Asterolecanium'' * '' Bambusaspis'' * '' Elegatis'' * '' Endernia'' * '' Frenchia'' * '' Grammococcus'' * '' Hsuia'' * '' Hyalococcus'' * '' Liuaspis'' * '' Mycetococcus'' * '' Mycococcus'' * '' Neoasterodiaspis'' * '' Oacoccus'' * '' Palmaspis'' * '' Pauroaspis'' * ''

Planchonia ''Planchonia'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Lecythidaceae first described as a genus in 1851. It is native to Southeast Asia, Papuasia, and Australia. ;Accepted species # '' Planchonia brevistipitata'' Kuswata – Sabah # ''Plan ...

'' * '' Polea'' * ''

Pollinia A pollinium (plural pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of mil ...

'' * '' Russellaspis'' * '' Sclerosococcus'' * '' Trachycoccus''

References

Scale insects Hemiptera families Neococcoids {{Coccoidea-stub