''Parlatoria blanchardi'', the date palm scale, is a
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 ...
of
armored scale insect
Diaspididae is the largest family of scale insects with over 2650 described species in around 400 genera. As with all scale insects, the female produces a waxy protective scale beneath which it feeds on its host plant. Diaspidid scales are far mo ...
in the family
Diaspididae
Diaspididae is the largest family of scale insects with over 2650 described species in around 400 genera. As with all scale insects, the female produces a waxy protective scale beneath which it feeds on its host plant. Diaspidid scales are far mo ...
.
It is a widespread and serious
pest
Pest or The Pest may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns
** Weed, a plant considered undesirable
* Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection
** ...
of
palms, both
date palm
''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...
s and ornamental species.
Description
The adult female
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), ...
is an elongated oval shape, and is whitish, with a pale brown raised area with a darker brown or blackish central area. Underneath the scale, the insect is nearly circular, pink at first, changing to yellowish-brown when mature. The male test is whitish and also elongate oval, but is smaller than the female's test. Males can be winged or wingless, but females never have wings.
Distribution
''Parlatoria blanchardi'' is thought to originate from
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
but has spread to many other tropical and subtropical regions. It occurs in North Africa, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, Italy, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and India. It also occurs in Australia, the United States, Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina.
[
]
Hosts
This scale insect is largely a pest of palm trees, but has been recorded on ten 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 ...
in four plant families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...
. Species affected include the palms ''Chamaerops humilis
''Chamaerops'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae. The only currently fully accepted species is ''Chamaerops humilis'', variously called European fan palm or the Mediterranean dwarf palm. It is one of the most hardy palms, ...
'', ''Hyphaene thebaica
''Hyphaene thebaica'', with common names doum palm (Ar: دوم) and gingerbread tree (also mistakenly doom palm), is a type of palm tree with edible oval fruit. It is a native to the Arabian Peninsula and also to the northern half and western pa ...
'', ''Latania
''Latania'', commonly known as latan palm or latania palm, is a genus of flowering plant in the palm tree family, native to the Mascarene Islands in the western Indian Ocean. Species
The genus contains three species, one from each of the three m ...
'', ''Nannorrhops
''Nannorrhops ritchiana'', the Mazari palm, is the sole species in the genus ''Nannorrhops'' in the palm family Arecaceae.
Distribution
It is native to southwestern Asia, in the historical region of Balochistan, from the southeast of the Arabian ...
'', ''Phoenix canariensis
''Phoenix canariensis'', the Canary Island date palm or pineapple palm, is a species of flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco. It is a relative of ''Phoenix dactylifera'', the true dat ...
'', ''Phoenix dactylifera
''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...
'', ''Pritchardia
The genus ''Pritchardia'' (family Arecaceae) consists of between 24 and 40 species of fan palms (subfamily Coryphoideae) found on tropical Pacific Ocean islands in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotus, and most diversely in Hawaii. The generic name ho ...
'' and ''Washingtonia filifera
''Washingtonia filifera'', the desert fan palm, California fan palm, or California palm,Flora of North America Association. ''Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 22: Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in Part), and Zi ...
'', as well as '' Jasminum'', ''Vinca major
''Vinca major'', with the common names bigleaf periwinkle, large periwinkle, greater periwinkle and blue periwinkle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to the western Mediterranean. Growing to tall and spreading i ...
'' and '' Ziziphus mauritiana''.
Ecology
''Parlatoria blanchardi'' is a serious pest of commercial date palms and ornamental palms, particularly affecting neglected trees. Infestations tend to be concentrated in the crown and leaves, with the succulent tissues at the base of the leafstalks being particularly badly affected.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13533872
Diaspididae
Insects described in 1892