The Margarodidae (illegitimately as Margodidae) or ground pearls are a family of
scale insects
Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...
within the superfamily
Coccoidea
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 ...
. Members of the family include the
Polish cochineal
Polish cochineal (''Porphyrophora polonica, Margarodes polonicus''), also known as Polish carmine scales (), is a scale insect formerly used to produce a crimson dye of the same name, colloquially known as "Saint John's blood". The larvae of ''P ...
and
Armenian cochineal
The Armenian cochineal (''Porphyrophora hamelii''), also known as the Ararat cochineal or Ararat scale, is a scale insect indigenous to the Ararat plain and Aras (Araks) River valley in the Armenian Highlands, including East of Turkey. It was ...
(genus ''Porphyrophora'') and the original ground pearl genus, ''Margarodes''. Beginning in 1880, a number of distinct subfamilies were recognized, with the giant coccids (the
Monophlebidae
Monophlebidae is a family of scale insects commonly known as the giant scales or monophlebids. They occur in most parts of the world but more genera are found in the tropics than elsewhere.Maskell recognized the Monophlebidae as a separate family that year, Although Maskell proposed a new family, many continued to regard the monophlebids as a mere subfamily for many years, and the Margarodidae classification continued to be
polyphyletic
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...
through the 20th Century. Since then, taking the advice of Koteja several subfamilies and tribes have been elevated into their own families such as Matsucoccidae and Xylococcidae. The pared-down family of Margarodidae (Margarodidae ''sensu stricto'' or Margarodidae s. s.) is
monophyletic
In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria:
# the grouping contains its own most recent co ...
Margarodes
The scale insect genus ''Margarodes'' is a group in the family Margarodidae. The type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the ...
Porphyrophora
The scale insect genus ''Porphyrophora'' is a large group in the family Margarodidae, which includes the insects Polish cochineal and Armenian cochineal formerly used in dye
Juan de Guillebon, better known by his stage name DyE, is a French ...
Crypticerya
''Crypticerya'' is a genus of scale insects belonging to the family Monophlebidae. When the genus was revived in 2008, it included 22 species, all found in the Americas. , there are 28 described species.
History
The name was established by Cocke ...
'' Cockerell, 1895 now in the
Monophlebidae
Monophlebidae is a family of scale insects commonly known as the giant scales or monophlebids. They occur in most parts of the world but more genera are found in the tropics than elsewhere.Desmococcus'' McKenzie, 1942 now in the Pityococcidae
* ''
Drosicha
''Drosicha'' is a genus of true bugs belonging to the family Monophlebidae
Monophlebidae is a family of scale insects commonly known as the giant scales or monophlebids. They occur in most parts of the world but more genera are found in the tr ...
'' Walker, 1858 now in the
Monophlebidae
Monophlebidae is a family of scale insects commonly known as the giant scales or monophlebids. They occur in most parts of the world but more genera are found in the tropics than elsewhere.Gueriniella'' Fernald, 1903 now in the
Monophlebidae
Monophlebidae is a family of scale insects commonly known as the giant scales or monophlebids. They occur in most parts of the world but more genera are found in the tropics than elsewhere.Icerya
''Icerya'' is a genus of scale insects in the family Monophlebidae. It is named after physician-naturalist Dr. Edmond Icery of British Mauritius.
Hermaphroditism
Hermaphroditism is extremely rare in the insect world despite the comparatively com ...
'' Signoret, 1875 now in the
Monophlebidae
Monophlebidae is a family of scale insects commonly known as the giant scales or monophlebids. They occur in most parts of the world but more genera are found in the tropics than elsewhere.Kuwania'' Cockerell ''in'' Fernald, 1903 now in the Kuwaniidae
* ''
Marchalina
''Marchalina hellenica'' is a scale insect that lives in the eastern Mediterranean region, mainly in Greece and Turkey. It is an invasive species
An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive speci ...
Monophlebidae
Monophlebidae is a family of scale insects commonly known as the giant scales or monophlebids. They occur in most parts of the world but more genera are found in the tropics than elsewhere.Steingelia'' Nassonov, 1908 now in the Steingeliidae
* '' Xylococcus'' Löw, 1883 now in the Xylococcidae