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Project Noah Nature School
Icerya purchasi
Es un hemíptero cocoideo que se alimenta de numerosas especies de plantas leñosas, especialmente de Citrus. Esta cochinilla infesta ramas y ramillas. Los adultos hermafroditas son de forma oval, de unos 5 mm de longitud. Cuando el insecto madura, permanece estacionario, se sujeta a la planta con una secreción cerosa y genera un saco asurcado para los huevos y puede contener cientos de ellos de color rojizo. It is a cocoideo hemipteran which feeds numerous species of woody plants, especially citrus. This mealybug infested branches and twigs. Adult hermaphrodites are oval, about 5 mm in length. When the insect matures, remains stationary, is attached to the floor with a waxy secretion and generates a ribbed bag for eggs and may contain hundreds of them a reddish color.
Sobre una planta de Nandina domestica siendo depredado por la mariquita Rodolia cardinalis. Jardines del Turia, Valencia. They were on a plant Nandina domestica being plundered by the ladybug Rodolia cardinalis. Gardens Turia, Valencia.
El control biológico de Icerya purchasi es uno de los mayores éxitos de este medio de control de plagas, se ha conseguido con la mariquita Rodolia cardinalis. Biological control of Icerya purchasi is one of the greatest successes of this method of pest control has been achieved with ladybug Rodolia cardinalis.
Spotted on Nov 29, 2011
Submitted on Nov 29, 2011
6 Comments
Thanks, Sachin and Argybee.
Wow, really nice,
Never seen so many! Excellent set of photos. What a strange creature.
Wow! That's a lot. Great series!
In Spain it is extending the Dactylopius coccus as a pest and a danger to the tasty prickly pears.
In my spotting: the mealybug is white. The red ladybug and the larvae are the predators that perform biological control. You can see my previous spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/790......, I wrote a little in English.
That poor plant! Here we have a different Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) that infects opuntia cactus. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/728...
The Aztec used it to make a beautiful purple dye for cloth.