Gillian W. Watson, Douglas J. Williams, Natalia von Ellenrieder, Scott A. Kinnee
The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 93 (3), 115-126, (9 October 2017) https://doi.org/10.3956/2017-93.2.115
KEYWORDS: invasive species, morphology, molecular analysis, Phenacoccus gossypii
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.