''Puto'' is a genus of insects described as giant

mealybug Mealybugs are insects in the family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Of the more than 2,000 described species, many are considered pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and ...

s, although it is the only extant genus in different family Putoidae; it was originally described by Victor Antoine Signoret in 1875.

Hosts

Giant mealybugs occur on a wide range of hosts, each species having its own specific host. Host plants commonly include conifers, grasses and various woody shrubs. All parts of the plant can be infested.

Description

The adult female is oval and up to five millimetres long and concealed by tufts of powdery white wax. If the wax is removed, two longitudinal black stripes can be seen on the upper surface of the body and the wax glands are large and conspicuous. The legs and antennae are well developed and a dark colour.

Life cycle

There are generally four

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...

s in the female and five in the male. In many species there is a single generation each year and the first instar is the overwintering stage. '' Puto sandini'' however takes four years to complete its life cycle.

Species

The current scientific consensus appears to be based on the two-subgenus proposal by Gavrilov-Zimin & Danzig; the following species, recorded from the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, mainland Europe and SE Asia, are included in ''BioLib.cz'' (as separate genera):

''Puto'' subgenus ''Ceroputo''

Authority: Šulc, 1897BioLib.cz: Genus ''Ceroputo'' Šulc, 1897
(retrieved 16 May 2024) # ''Puto (Ceroputo) graminis'' # ''Puto (Ceroputo) liquidambaris'' # ''Puto (Ceroputo) mimicus'' # '' Puto (Ceroputo) pilosellae'' ("hairy mealybug") # ''Puto (Ceroputo) vaccinii''

''Puto'' subgenus ''Puto''

Authority: Signoret, 1875BioLib.cz: genus ''Puto'' Signoret, 1875
(retrieved 14 May 2024) - list incomplete: * '' Puto antennatus'' ("conifer mealybug") * '' Puto acirculus'' * '' Puto albicans'' * '' Puto ambigua'' * '' Puto ambiguus'' * '' Puto antennatus'' * '' Puto antioquensis'' * '' Puto arctostaphyli'' * '' Puto atriplicis'' * '' Puto barberi'' * '' Puto borealis'' * '' Puto brunnitarsis'' * '' Puto bryanthi'' * '' Puto calcitectus'' * '' Puto californicus'' * '' Puto cupressi'' * '' Puto decorosus'' * '' Puto echinatus'' * '' Puto euphorbiaefolius'' * '' Puto israelensis'' * '' Puto janetscheki'' * '' Puto kosztarabi'' * '' Puto lasiorum'' * '' Puto laticribellum'' * '' Puto mexicanus'' * '' Puto marsicanus'' * '' Puto mimicus'' * '' Puto nulliporus'' * '' Puto orientalis'' * '' Puto pacificus'' * '' Puto palinuri'' * '' Puto pricei'' * '' Puto profusus'' * '' Puto sandini'' * '' Puto simmondsiae'' * '' Puto superbus'' * '' Puto yuccae''

References

External links

Images at iNaturalist
* {{taxonbar, from=Q19686517, from2=Q27596919 Sternorrhyncha genera Archaeococcoids