"Red Pomeranian shield"

AI-assisted Knowledge Update: This article was automatically consolidated to provide you with the most up-to-date data instantly.

- CONTENT--
The red Pomeranian shield () is a species of semi-hard-winged coccide insects of the genus Aonidiella from the shield family (Diaspididae). A dangerous pest of citrus crops, causes fall of fruits and leaves, drying out of whole plants.

Spreading
All-worldly tropical and subtropical species: Australia, Oceania, Africa, Non-Arctic (Mexico, USA), Neotropics (Argentina, Brazil, Galapagos Islands), Chile), Palearctic, Oriental region. Imported with forage plants in many countries of the world, including Europe: Georgia (Abkhazia, Adjara), Spain, Italy, Cyprus, France.

Description

Small shields (diameter about 2 mm), the body shape of females is round or oval (in males, the shield is oval), flat; the main color is red-brown or red-yellow. Adult males are small yellowish bi-winged insects that live about 6 hours and die after mating. They find unfertilized females by the smell of pheromones they emit. Give from 4 (Israel) to 8 generations per year (in the tropics). A viviparous species, in California, females bring an average of 70 larvae.

They feed on the juices of various plants from several dozen families. Polyphage, found on leaves, shoots, fruits, branches and trunks. Harms such important crops as orange (Citrus sinensis), lemon (Citrus limon), Pomeranian (Citrus aurantium), Japanese persimmon, figs, apple trees, plums, olives, grapes, palms, bananas, mandarin (Citrus reticulata), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi). Forage plants include, for example, Rutaceae (Aegle marmelos; Choisya; Citrus decumana; Citrus grandis; Citrus maxima; Citrus nobilis; Citrus nobilis; Citrus pomela; Citrus; Murraya exotica); Salicaceae (Salix babylonica; Salix discolor; Salix; Scolopia oldhami), Arecaceae (Areca alicaceae; Areca triandra; Chamaedorea; Cocos nucs; Cocos plumosa; and many others.
Other important crops damaged by the red Pomeranian shield include papaya in Taiwan, guava in India, and olives in California and the Mediterranean and Morocco.

Natural enemies differ in different parts of its range. Parasitoids include species such as Aphelinus africanus, Aphytis, Comperiella bifasciata, Encarsia, Habrolepis rouxi and Signiphora fax. Among the predators are Aleurodothrips fasciapennis, Chilocorus, Cybocephalus micans, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, Hemisarcoptes malus and Rhyzobius lophanthae.
In California, several species of predators eat the red Pomeranian shield, including ladybugs Rhyzobius lophanthae, Chilocorus orbus and Chiliocorus cacti. Among parasitic riders, Aphytis melinus, Aphytis lingnanensis and Comperiella bifasciata can control their numbers. Among the ants noted predation Argentine invasive ant Linepithema humile.

The species was first described in 1879 by New Zealand politician and entomologist William Miles Maskell (1839–1898) as it is named for the forage plant