''Dysmicoccus brevipes'' is a mealybug. The scientific name was published for the first time by

Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell (1866–1948) was an American zoologist, born at Norwood, England, and brother of Sydney Cockerell. He was educated at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, and then studied botany in the field in Colorado in 188 ...

in 1893. The species is found primarily on

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

and other species in the genus ''

Ananas ''Ananas'' is a plant genus in the family Bromeliaceae. It is native to South America. The genus contains ''Ananas comosus'', the pineapple. Species The genus ''Ananas'' includes only two species: Gallery File:Pineapple.plantation.jpg, Pinea ...

'', but also infests citrus trees, cotton, banana, coffee and other plants.

Characteristics

The adult ''Dysmicoccus brevipes'' has a pink to pink-orange coloured body. The body's shape varies from round till oval and is between 2.3 and 3.0 millimetres long. There are seventeen pairs of wax-producing glands which produce short wax filaments which conceal the body. The larvae are flattened and have long hairs.

Ecology

The species is

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

, and the female gives birth to live young, typically two or three hundred, after which she dies. The first stage larvae are known as "crawlers" and disperse, sometimes being conveyed by the wind to new host plants. The larval stage is variable but lasts for about five weeks. The only larval stages that feed are the first and the beginning of the second instar stage. After the third moult, the larva becomes mature, and the total lifespan averages 95 days.

Distribution

''Dysmicoccus brevipes'' can be found in a wide variety of regions. It has been found in Hawaii, the Pacific, Central and South America, Australia and Africa.

References

* Insects described in 1893 Agricultural pest insects Citrus pests Coffee diseases Pineapples Insects of Africa Pseudococcidae {{Coccoidea-stub