''Carulaspis minima'' is an armoured scale insect, in the subtribe

Diaspidina Diaspidina is a subtribe of armored scale insects. It occurs mostly in the Americas and Africa, with a few species in tropical Asia. In the Americas ''Pseudoparlatoria'' is the largest genus, with ''Diaspis'' second; in Africa ''Diaspis'' is th ...

of the family Diaspididae, and is commonly known as the minute cypress scale. It was first described in 1869 by the French entomologist Victor Antoine Signoret. It feeds on evergreen conifers in the families Cephalotaxaceae,

Cupressaceae Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress family, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdio ...

and Taxodiaceae.

Description

''Carulaspis minima'' grows to a maximum length of about . The scale covering the adult female is circular and convex, white with a yellowish-brown central portion; the female nymph is similar, but smaller. The adult male has an elongate whitish scale with the yellowish-brown remnants of the exuviae on the posterior end. The male nymph has a whitish felt-like appearance with longitudinal ridges. It is very difficult to distinguish it from the juniper scale (''Carulaspis juniperi'').

Life cycle

The adult female scale overwinters on the host tree and lays a batch of eggs which are retained under the scale. These hatch into "crawlers", nymphs which are mobile and move to other parts of the plant. After shedding their skin for the first time, the nymphs settle down and grow through the summer. After reaching adulthood they mate, after which the males die. In California there are one or two generations in the year.

Ecology

''Carulaspis minima'' feeds on the twigs and foliage of

conifers Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extan ...

. The insects are herbivorous, feeding on

phloem sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...

sucked from the plant's vascular system. In severe infestations the foliage may become discoloured or die, but more often the population of scale insects is kept in check by their natural enemies in the form of predatory

lady beetle Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles ranging in size from . They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain. Some entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as they ...

s and parasitoid wasps, which feed on them and kill them.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9697945 Diaspidini Insects described in 1869