Oceanaspidiotus spinosus (Comstock)

Lázaro-Castellanos, Carlos, González-Hernández, Héctor, Nápoles, Jesús Romero-, Ortega-Arenas, Laura D., Equihua-Martínez, Armando & Ochoa-Ascencio, Salvador, 2023, Armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) associated with avocados (Persea americana) in México’s main production areas, with keys for identification and natural enemies, Zootaxa 5357 (2), pp. 241-269 : 261-262

Oceanaspidiotus spinosus (Comstock)

Aspidiotus spinous Comstock 1883: 70 .

Aspidiotus spinosus (Comstock) ; Cockerell 1895: 17.

Aspidiotus (Evaspidiotus) spinosus (Cockerell) Leonardi 1898: 56

Aspidiotus persearum Cockerell 1898b: 240 .

Aspidiotus (Evaspidiotus) persearum (Cockerell) ; Leonardi 1900: 341.

Acanthaspidiotus borchsenii Takagi & Kawai 1966: 116 .

Oceanaspidiotus spinosus (Cockerell) ; Takagi 1984: 18.

Acanthaspidiotus spinosa (Comstock) ; Kawai 1987: 18.

Oceanaspidiotus spinosus (Cockerell) ; Takagi & Moghaddam 2005: 52.

Diagnosis. Scale cover of live adult female flat and white, with subcentral exuviae. Body of live adult female membranous, yellow, pyriform. Slide-mounted adult female with three well-developed pygidial lobes; L1 largest, each with lateral and medium notches and a well-defined basal sclerosis; L2 smaller than L1 but the same shape; L3 simple, each smaller than L2, with a lateral notch. Perivulvar pores present, paraphyses absent.

Discussion. Oceanaspidiotus spinosus could be confused with H. cyanophylli ; their separation has been discussed above.

Habits on the hosts. Oceanaspidiotus spinosus was found attacking avocado fruits, alone or associated with other species of armored scale such as H. lataniae , Ac. albopicta and Da. aguacatae ( González et al. 2008) .

Hosts. The scale is polyphagous, attacking members of 79 genera belonging to 48 plant families, some of which are of economic importance including kiwi, mango, fig, grape vines and avocado, among others ( González & Atkinson 1984; Watson 2002; García Morales et al. 2016).

Distribution. Oceanaspidiotus spinosus is known to be present in 48 countries in Africa, America, Asia and Europe ( Watson 2002; García Morales et al. 2016). In México, it has been recorded in the states of Baja California, Colima, Michoacán, Morelos and Veracruz ( González & Atkinson 1984; González et al. 2008; García Morales et al. 2016).

Natural enemies. Among the natural enemies that regulate O. spinosus are the coccinellid beetles: Chilocorus bipustulatus , Rhyzobius chrysomeloides and Rhy. lophanthae; and the parasitoid wasps, Signiphoridae : Signiphora flava and S. flavella ( Watson 2002; García Morales et al. 2016).