Hemiberlesia lataniae
(latania scale)

Pictures

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Identity

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Preferred Scientific Name

• Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret)

Preferred Common Name

• latania scale

Other Scientific Names

• Aspidiotus askleniae Sasaki
• Aspidiotus aspleniae Ferris
• Aspidiotus crawii Cockerell
• Aspidiotus cydoniae Cockerell
• Aspidiotus greenii Cockerll
• Aspidiotus lataniae Signoret
• Aspidiotus punicae Cockerell
• Aspidiotus tectus Ferris
• Diaspidiotus lataniae
• Euaspidiotus lataniae
• Hemiberlesia cydoniae
• Hemiberlesia greenii

International Common Names

• English: grape vine Aspidiotus; palm scale; scale, latania; scale, palm

Local Common Names

• Czechoslovakia (former): quince scale
• South Africa: palm dopluis (South Africa)

EPPO code

• HEBELA (Hemiberlesia lataniae)

Taxonomic Tree

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• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Metazoa
•         Phylum: Arthropoda
•             Subphylum: Uniramia
•                 Class: Insecta
•                     Order: Hemiptera
•                         Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
•                             Unknown: Coccoidea
•                                 Family: Diaspididae
•                                     Genus: Hemiberlesia
•                                         Species: Hemiberlesia lataniae

Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature

Top of page H. lataniae is a member of the subfamily Diaspidinae tribe Aspidiotini.

Description

Top of page Eggs

The eggs are yellow in colour, elongate and 0.15 mm long.

Larvae

The first instar, or crawler, is yellowish in colour and is 0.15 mm long. It moults after approximately 14 days. The second instar exhibits the same colour as the adult female.

Adults

Adult females are variable in colour and shape, measuring 1-2 mm in diameter. On leaves they are grey to white in colour, circular and convex; on stems, they are brown and slightly convex. Exuviae are subcentral and yellow-brown (Davidson and Miller, 1990).

Male scale covers are oval-shaped and elongate, similar in colour to those of the females, but are not always present. Exuviae are subterminal and yellow (Davidson and Miller, 1990). The adult male is a tiny insect with one pair of wings and no mouthparts, and which lives for 24 to 48 hours.

Distribution

Top of page H. lataniae was originally described from a palm, Latania borbonica, in 1869 (Quayle, 1938). This palm was a very popular ornamental plant which was distributed worldwide, carrying the pest with it. It is considered to be a serious pest in many areas of the world, including Israel, Palearctic Regions, the former USSR and USA (Florida and Hawaii) (Miller and Davidson, 1990).

Distribution Table

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The distribution in this summary table is based on all the information available. When several references are cited, they may give conflicting information on the status. Further details may be available for individual references in the Distribution Table Details section which can be selected by going to Generate Report.

Risk of Introduction

Top of page According to Burger and Ulenberg (1990), H. lataniae is a quarantine pest in certain countries. Introduction to new countries is often via importation of infested plant material, especially ornamental plants.

Hosts/Species Affected

Top of page The latania scale, H. lataniae, is polyphagous and occurs on hundreds of host plants, including ornamental plants from at least 78 families (Boechsenius, 1966; Davidson and Miller, 1990) and the coniferous families Cupressaceae (Cupressus, Juniperus, Thuja) and Pinaceae (Cedrus) (Zahradník, 1990). Members of the families Rosaceae, Palmae and Euphorbiaceae are preferred hosts.

Host Plants and Other Plants Affected

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Growth Stages

Top of page Fruiting stage, Vegetative growing stage

Symptoms

Top of page The presence of latania scale can be detected on leaves, twigs, fruit and as pitting on the bark of stems. Infested mango fruit turn pale green or yellow where the scales feed. The discoloration remains on the mango skin even if the scales are removed by natural enemies or when the fruit is cleaned before packing. If there are more than ten of these spots per fruit on 10% or more of the fruit, it cannot be exported (Daneel, 1998).

According to Ebeling (1959), the rostralis of H. lataniae irritates the flesh of avocado cultivar Fuerte and possibly other thin-skinned cultivars. This is indicated by nodules adhering to the inside of the peel with corresponding depressions in the flesh of ripe fruit.

List of Symptoms/Signs

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Biology and Ecology

Top of page The eggs of H. lataniae are laid under the female cover and hatch shortly afterwards, usually within a few hours. The first instar, or crawler, usually settles near the parent female and moults after 14 days. The female second instar lasts 2 to 3 weeks before moulting to the adult stage.

H. lataniae is bisexual in Maryland, USA (Stoetzel and Davidson, 1974), and unisexual in Israel (Gerson and Zor, 1973) and southern California, USA (McKenzie, 1935).

Annually, H. lataniae completes two generations in Maryland, USA (Stoetzel and Davidson, 1974), three generations in Egypt (El-Minshway et al., 1971) and four generations in Israel (Gerson and Zor, 1973). From the egg to egg-laying female takes 56 to 65 days in southern California, USA (McKenzie, 1935).

Dispersal is by the active crawling of the first instar, and passive transport by wind and animal agents, including man. Dry weather favours dispersal and establishment; heavy rain causes high mortality of crawlers.

Natural enemies

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Notes on Natural Enemies

Top of page In most areas where H. lataniae is present, natural enemies are usually able to control populations in field conditions. However, this will only occur where ants do not disturb the balance of natural enemies and pesticides are not applied indiscriminately.

The parasitoids of H. lataniae belong to the Aphelinidae (Aphytis spp.) the Encyrtidae (Habrolepis obscura and Comperiella lemniscata) and the Signiphoridae (Signiphora spp.).

The predatory mites, Cheletomimus berlesei (Cheyletidae) and the Hemisarcoptes spp. (Hemisarcoptidae) feed on diaspidid crawlers, such as those of H. lataniae (Gerson et al., 1990). Coccinellids, such as Rhyzobius lophanthae and Chilocorus sp., are considered to be high-density feeders of scale insects, although their principal importance is as hosts for the dispersal of predatory mites. Dentifibula obtusilobae is a cecidomyiid predator of the latania scale.

Evans and Prior (1990) note that armoured scale insects, particularly in the humid tropics, are subject to periodic and often devastating attacks by highly adapted fungal pathogens. The pathogen Nectria flammea has been isolated from H. lataniae.

Impact

Top of page H. lataniae attacks the branches, leaves and fruit of avocado, and infested fruit are downgraded to a lower quality class and may not be accepted for export. In South Africa, heavy infestations have been observed on fruit of avocado cultivar Hass, but smooth-skinned cultivars are also susceptible. Heavier scale infestations on cultivar Hass were observed on fruit hanging near the ground, compared to higher up in the tree (Steyn, 1995).

Latania scale is considered to be a serious pest of avocado in Israel (Gill, 1997).

In the USA, H. lataniae is a serious pest of palms in Florida and on ornamentals in California, where it has recently also begun to cause problems on kiwifruit (Gill, 1997).

On macadamia (Macadamia spp.) trees, the insect attacks the nuts, leaves and branches.

H. lataniae attacks the twigs and bark of mango trees, moving to the fruit during severe infestations. The peel of infested fruit turns pale green or yellow where the scales feed, but no internal damage was observed by Daneel (1998).

On grapevine, the insect attacks the main stem, branches and shoots of the vines, causing dieback of bearing stems, as well as older wood and occasionally whole vines (Swart and De Klerk, 1986).

Detection and Inspection

Top of page Inspect the stem, branches, leaves and fruit for the presence of greyish-colored scale insects up to 2 mm in length. A magnifying glass or hand lens, and good lighting are important to ensure detection.

Prevention and Control

Top of page Biological Control

In New Zealand, species of Hemisarcoptes have been introduced into kiwifruit orchards (Charles et al., 1995b), but only H. coccophagus has become established. Chilocorus spp. were also introduced to enable the predatory Hemisarcoptes mites to be dispersed by phoresy. Following introduction of H. coccophagus, there was a long term decline in H. lataniae numbers in orchards and Lombardy poplar shelter belts (Charles et al., 1995a).

In Australia, a complex of natural enemies was able to suppress H. lataniae infestations in sprayed avocado orchards (Waite, 1988).

Chemical Control

Although there are systemic and contact insecticides that can control H. lataniae, it is mostly not necessary to apply chemical control.

Where natural enemies have been suppressed by misuse of insecticides, scale-infested avocado fruit need to be cleaned before marketing (Swaine et al., 1985). Ebeling (1959) describes washing of fruit in a special solution and vigorous brushing to remove the scales.

The misuse of broad-spectrum insecticides for the control of stink bugs on macadamia can also cause a population build up of H. lataniae (De Villiers and Du Toit, 1984).


IPM

Where orchards become infested with H. lataniae, the history of the orchards and the chemicals used on them during the previous two seasons should be determined. Broad spectrum pesticides with long residual action should be replaced with narrow spectrum pesticides with short residual action. Other useful practices are to reduce dust depositing on the trees from nearby dusty roads, and to prevent ants from gaining access to trees.

References

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Distribution Maps

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