''Xenococcus annandalei'' is a species of

mealybug Mealybugs are insects in the family (biology), family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Many species are considered pest (animal), pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and sub ...

in the family

Pseudococcidae Mealybugs are insects in the family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Many species are considered pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and subtropical trees and also act as a ...

that infests the roots of certain species of trees.

Description

The adult female ''X. annandalei'' is an elongated oval shape with an abdomen that tapers abruptly at the back. The antennae are nearly as long as the body and have four segments. There is a special means of articulation between the enlarged first and second segments so that the antennae can be folded back along the body. The back is covered in minute setae which take the place of the mealy wax found on most mealybugs. In fact there are no body wax pores. The underside has fewer longer setae. The legs are well developed and terminate in a long slender claw. The anal ring lies at the apex of the abdomen and projects beyond the ventral anal lobes. The ring has eight setae, the anterior two pairs slender and the posterior pair thick and long. There are two circuli which are round, sclerotized and slightly conical.The anomalous ant-attended mealybugs of south-east Asia
/ref> This is a subterranean species found in the nests of the ant '' Acropyga acutiventris'', living on the rootlets of '' Ficus'' species. When the soil is damp and warm both ants and mealybugs are found near the surface under stones but in cold or dry weather they go much deeper into the soil. If the nest is disturbed, the ants carry away mealybugs in their mandibles.

Host species

This species infests the roots of the coconut palm, ''

Cocus nucifera The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

'', the sacred fig, ''

Ficus religiosa ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of Ficus, fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, pippala tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipa ...

'', and '' Ficus obtusa''.

Distribution

This species is found in the Northern Territory of Australia, Queensland, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, India ( Orissa), Malaysia and Vietnam.Scale Net

Biology

''X. annandalei'' sucks sap from the roots of the host trees. It is attended and cared for by the ant, '' Acropyga acutiventris'', which lives in colonies underground and has a mutualistic association with the mealybugs which live inside its nest. The excess sugar in the sap is excreted as honeydew which is removed by the ants which may stimulate its production by palpating the mealybug's abdomen. When the young ant queens leave the nest on their nuptial flight, they carry female mealybugs in their

jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

ready for the foundation of new colonies.Nomenclature and distribution of some Australian and New Guinean ants of the subfamily Formicinae
This mutualistic association is found throughout the range of the ant. Other ''Acropyga'' species have similar relationships with other species of

s, and it could be a trait common to the whole genus. Fossil specimens of ''

Acropyga ''Acropyga'' is a genus of small formicine ants. Some species can be indirect pests. '' A. acutiventris'', which is found from India to Australia, tends subterranean, root-feeding mealybugs of the species '' Xenococcus annandalei''. Living, grav ...

'' have been recovered from amber deposits in the Dominican Republic and several of these are carrying '' Electromyrmococcus'', an extinct genus of mealybug.''Acropyga''
/ref>

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4053379 Pseudococcidae Hemiptera of Asia Taxa named by Filippo Silvestri Insects described in 1924