<em>Aulacaspis yasumatsui</em> Delivers a Blow to International Cycad Horticulture
The literature covering the biology, invasion chronology, host plant responses, and control efforts of the armored scale <i>Aulacaspis yasumatsui</i> Takagi (Hempitera: Diaspididae) is reviewed. The small size of this cycad pest and complex surface morphology of the host cycad organs com...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/7/6/147 |
| Summary: | The literature covering the biology, invasion chronology, host plant responses, and control efforts of the armored scale <i>Aulacaspis yasumatsui</i> Takagi (Hempitera: Diaspididae) is reviewed. The small size of this cycad pest and complex surface morphology of the host cycad organs combine to make visual detection of every cryptic infestation difficult or impossible to achieve. The international movement of <i>Cycas revoluta</i> Thunb. nursery plants and the presence of <i>C. revoluta</i> nursery industries in so many countries have enabled this pest to wreak havoc on the international cycad horticulture trade over the last 25 years. The short pre-oviposition period and considerable female fecundity lead to rapid population expansion on the plants initially infested in newly invaded regions. A depletion of non-structural carbohydrates accompanies long-term infestations and precedes plant death. Enemy escape within the invasive range allows the scale population growth to remain unchecked until anthropogenic efforts establish non-native biological control. |
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| ISSN: | 2311-7524 |