Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) of Taiwan
Date Issued
2012
Date
2012
Author(s)
Tsai, Ming-Yu
Abstract
The early records of Taiwanese mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) included 54 species belonging to 26 genera. Among them, three new species and five invasive mealybugs were found in past 20 years. Faunal study of mealybugs from Taiwan is resurveyed. Sample collectings were carried out at 445 sites with 122 host-plant species in 47 families recorded from 2004-2010. Thirty described species and two new species are identified in this study. Chorizococcus McKenzie and Rhizoecus Kunckel d''Herculais were recorded in Taiwan for the first time. Among these described species, four of them, Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero, Pseudococcus gilbertensis Beardsley, Rastrococcus chinensis Ferris and Rhizoecus variabilis Hambleton, are new records in Taiwan. Chorizococcus zoysiae Tsai and Heliococcus taiwanensis n. sp. are new to science. Moreover, Pseudococcus bambusicola Takahashi is transferred to genus Formicococcus and formed a new combination, Formicococcus bambusicola (Takahashi) n. comb. Based on examining specimens of TARI and reviewing relative references, Geococcus coffeae Green is excluded in the faunal record of Taiwan in this study after examining specimens and relative literatures. Collections of Taiwanese mealybugs in various museums and institutes are also examined in this study. Till now, there are 57 species divided into 26 genera found from Taiwan. Two genera, Mizococcus Takahashi and Pilococcus Takahashi, are endemic to Taiwan, and other genera are widespread. Fifteen mealybugs species are endemic to Taiwan, another 32 species are worldwide distribution, and remaining 11 species are distributed across two zoogeographic regions. Combing the host plants collecting in the fields and relative references, there are 398 plant species belonging to 90 families as hosts of mealybugs in Taiwan. Among them, 48% were recorded for the first time as hosts. The results also showed high host range expansions in Taiwan. Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Moraceae, Poaceae, and Solanaceae are major plant-host families in Taiwan. Based on utilizations by humans, mealybugs of Taiwan were mostly found on ornamentals and weeds. The percentages that mealybug species feeding on single plant family on angiosperms, gymnosperms and non-seeded land plants are 68.5%, 77.8% and 84%, respectively. Others were polyphagous. Analyses of the relationship between species richness of host-plant families and the number of mealybug species recorded on these plants showed a significant positive correlation between host-plant species richness per plant family and mealybug species richness. Twenty-seven ant species attend Taiwanese mealybugs in the fields, and half of them belong to ant subfamily Myrmicinae. High ant species diversity attending Phenacoccus mealybugs species are showed, especially with Phenacoccus madeirensis. Five ant species, Crematogaster dohrni fabricans, Monomorium chinense, Paratrechina longicornis, Pheidole megacephala, and Tapinoma melanocephalum, are frequently collected with mealybugs in the field collections. In this study, mealybug fauna of Taiwan are reviewed and updated. Host plants, associated ants, and natural enemies of mealybugs in Taiwan are also provided in this research. The information would have some benefit in relative studies and biocontrol strategies of mealybugs.
Subjects
Pseudococcidae
taxonomy, host plants
ant
Taiwan
Type
thesis
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