Family: Coccidae (soft scales)

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Ecdysozoa > Panarthropoda > Tritocerebra > Phylum: Arthopoda > Mandibulata > Atelocerata > Panhexapoda > Hexapoda > Insecta (insects) > Dicondyla > Pterygota > Metapterygota > Neoptera > Eumetabola > Paraneoptera > Condylognatha > Hemiptera (bugs) > Sternorryncha > Superfamily: Coccoidea

Ceroplastes soft scales on Acacia karroo being tended for honeydew by pugnaceous ants Anoplolepis sp. Photographed in Eastern Cape.

Soft scales can vary greatly in appearance but in many of them the female is covered by a thick, soft waxy covering. They are plant suckers and a number of species are agricultural pests in South Africa.

References

• Wakgari, W.M. & Giliomee, J.H. 2000. Fecundity, fertility and phenology of white wax scale, Ceroplastes destructor Newstead (Hemiptera: Coccidae), on Citrus and Syzygium in South Africa. African Entomology 8: 233-242.