Putoidae 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 giant mealybugs or putoids. There is probably a single

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

, ''Puto'', containing about sixty

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 ...

. The genus name ''Macrocerococcus'' has also been used but it is now considered to be a synonym of ''Puto''. The genus ''Puto'' was formerly classified as a member of the

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 ...

; however, it so significantly differed from the rest of the Pseudococcidae that it was accorded its own family Putoidae.

Hosts

Giant mealybugs occur on a wide range of hosts, each species having its own specific host. Host plants commonly include conifers, grasses and various woody shrubs. All parts of the plant can be infested.

Description

The adult female is oval and up to five millimetres long and concealed by tufts of powdery white wax. If the wax is removed, two longitudinal black stripes can be seen on the upper surface of the body and the wax glands are large and conspicuous. The legs and antennae are well developed and a dark colour.

Life cycle

There are generally four

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 in the female and five in the male. In many species there is a single generation each year and the first instar is the over-wintering stage. ''

Puto sandini Puto may refer to: * Puto, a Spanish profanity * Puto (film), a 1987 Filipino teen fantasy comedy * Puto (food), a Filipino food * Puto (genus), a genus of scale insects * Puto (song), by Mexican band Molotov * Puto (TV series), a 2021 Filipin ...

'' however takes four years to complete its life cycle.

Species

* ''Puto antennatus'' Sign., 1875 ("conifer mealybug")

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7262389 Scale insects Hemiptera families Archaeococcoids