Ground Pearls, Earth Pearls, Pearl Scale, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae)

Ground pearls are a primitive subterrestrial relative of the widely recognized above ground armored scale insect (family Diaspididae). While retaining well-developed fossorial legs with numerous setae (which scale insects do not have), ground pearls do not possess the ability to secrete scales simi...

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Main Author: Anthony Camerino
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries 2004-12-01
Series:EDIS
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/114129
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author Anthony Camerino
author_facet Anthony Camerino
author_sort Anthony Camerino
collection DOAJ
description Ground pearls are a primitive subterrestrial relative of the widely recognized above ground armored scale insect (family Diaspididae). While retaining well-developed fossorial legs with numerous setae (which scale insects do not have), ground pearls do not possess the ability to secrete scales similar to their scale relatives (Beardsley and Gonzalez). Instead, the ground pearls excrete a waxy covering that totally surrounds their body with the exception of their piercing- sucking mouthparts. The voided waxy spherical covering of the insect is the most likely structure to be encountered. The sphere is pink to yellowish-brown in color and measures from 1/6 of an inch in diameter to as small as a grain of sand (Short). The exposed mouthparts are used to feed and attach to the roots of plants. This document is EENY-277, one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: November 2002.  EENY277/IN554: Ground Pearls, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae) (ufl.edu)
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spelling doaj.art-bd9f43f3668a456fa5f609a120a984832024-04-23T05:08:22ZengThe University of Florida George A. Smathers LibrariesEDIS2576-00092004-12-01200418Ground Pearls, Earth Pearls, Pearl Scale, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae)Anthony Camerino0University of Florida Ground pearls are a primitive subterrestrial relative of the widely recognized above ground armored scale insect (family Diaspididae). While retaining well-developed fossorial legs with numerous setae (which scale insects do not have), ground pearls do not possess the ability to secrete scales similar to their scale relatives (Beardsley and Gonzalez). Instead, the ground pearls excrete a waxy covering that totally surrounds their body with the exception of their piercing- sucking mouthparts. The voided waxy spherical covering of the insect is the most likely structure to be encountered. The sphere is pink to yellowish-brown in color and measures from 1/6 of an inch in diameter to as small as a grain of sand (Short). The exposed mouthparts are used to feed and attach to the roots of plants. This document is EENY-277, one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: November 2002.  EENY277/IN554: Ground Pearls, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae) (ufl.edu) https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/114129IN554
spellingShingle Anthony Camerino
Ground Pearls, Earth Pearls, Pearl Scale, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae)
EDIS
IN554
title Ground Pearls, Earth Pearls, Pearl Scale, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae)
title_full Ground Pearls, Earth Pearls, Pearl Scale, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae)
title_fullStr Ground Pearls, Earth Pearls, Pearl Scale, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae)
title_full_unstemmed Ground Pearls, Earth Pearls, Pearl Scale, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae)
title_short Ground Pearls, Earth Pearls, Pearl Scale, Margarodes spp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Margarodidae)
title_sort ground pearls earth pearls pearl scale margarodes spp insecta hemiptera margarodidae
topic IN554
url https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/114129
work_keys_str_mv AT anthonycamerino groundpearlsearthpearlspearlscalemargarodessppinsectahemipteramargarodidae