Coccidohystrix insolita (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) the egg plant mealy bug (females).
No more room. Lines full. Attendant 2 mm ant says "CLOSED".
Tags: Macro Mondays .closed Coccidohystrix insolita Hemiptera Pseudococcidae egg plant mealy bug female
A view of a male eggplant mealy bug from above, showing the relative lack of wing veins and four white filaments.
Coccidohystrix insolita (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) the egg plant mealy bug. Relatively young females without heavy wax covering are in the comment. The male is a tiny winged insect around one mm in body length with two wings and drifting hovering flight. Seldom seen. I found two males on the same infested leaf (see comments) with very careful looking. The wings have little venation. They are strengthened with ridges like the ridges on a PET water bottle.
Tags: Coccidohystrix insolita Hemiptera Pseudococcidae male egg plant mealy bug male mealy bug
Coccidohystrix insolita (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) the egg plant mealy bug. Males and young females are present in this image. Males are tiny winged insects around a mm body length with drifting hovering flight and are seldom seen. Similar sexual dimorphism is seen in the scale insects.
In this instance the female population on the egg plant is into the third generation and the density is very high. Many males are present today. I expect the males to disappear in a day or two leaving young females primed for the fourth and overwhelming generation.
The next day the males were gone.
PS. The wing folding is different in the two males side by side above. Left over right and right over left. I wonder if there is a preferred handedness?
Tags: male mealy bugs Coccidohystrix insolita Hemiptera Pseudococcidae