The Madeira mealybug, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green, 1923 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) is a highly polyphagous, invasive pest species that is actively extending its geographical range. There has been some uncertainty as to how to separate it reliably from a less invasive species, P. gossypii Townsend & Cockerell, 1898, due to the occurrence of intermediate morphologies. In this study, molecular and morphological analysis of Phenacoccus mealybugs intercepted on fresh plant material entering California provided evidence that there is a complex of undescribed cryptic species around P. madeirensis.
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9 October 2017
Evidence for a cryptic species-group around Phenacoccus madeirensis Green, 1923 (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
Gillian W. Watson,
Douglas J. Williams,
Natalia von Ellenrieder,
Scott A. Kinnee
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The Pan-Pacific Entomologist
Vol. 93 • No. 3
July 2017
Vol. 93 • No. 3
July 2017
invasive species
molecular analysis
morphology
Phenacoccus gossypii