Lecanodiaspididae is a family of

scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the Order (biology), order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient g ...

s commonly known as false pit scales or lecanodiaspidids. Members of this family come from all parts of the world but are most numerous in the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

.USDA Agricultural Research Service

Description

Adults false pit scales are yellow to reddish-brown and have a waxy, papery

test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

with about eight transverse ridges giving it a corrugated appearance. There is a longitudinal ridge in the center of the test and an anal opening with rolled up edges at the posterior end.

Life cycle

Members of this family of scales mostly live on the trunks and branches of shrubs and

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

trees. Host plants include species from 67 plant families but false pit scales predominantly occur on

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. They are also found, but less often, on

Fagaceae The Fagaceae (; ) are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with around 1,000 or more species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species ...

Moraceae Moraceae is a family of flowering plants comprising about 48 genera and over 1100 species, and is commonly known as the mulberry or fig family. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their ...

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

and

Rutaceae The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in Bo ...

. The females develop through three instar stages and the males through five. There is usually a single generation per year and the scales overwinter as

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

under the mother's test. Males exist in most of the species. Many of the species are guarded by

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s which are attracted by their honeydew.

Genera

*'' Anomalococcus'' *'' Brookesiella'' *'' Celaticoccus'' *'' Cosmococcus'' *'' Cresococcus'' *'' Gallinococcus'' *'' Lecanodiaspis'' *'' Prosopophora'' *'' Psoraleococcus'' *'' Pterococcus'' *'' Stictacanthus'' *'' Virgulicoccus''

References

Scale insects Hemiptera families {{Coccoidea-stub