Naturally Curly Scales - BugGuide.Net

Seems so obvious I think I'm mucking it up.

Crown Whitefly nymphs, most common species on oak. Photo page 139 in Insects of ther Los Angeles Basin

(I landed there, trying to find photos of the adults.)

… Ron Hemberger, 3 April, 2007 - 10:00pm

I think so too

But I don't know enough about the variation between species to be sure. The problem is, all we can see is the wax, not the insect itself. What's worse, experts can't be assured of an ID even if they dissect it under a microscope- unless it's in the "pupal" stage.

The photo in Hogue is what tipped me off in the first place that it might be a whitefly, though the thickness or texture of the wax strips seems just different enough to make me wonder.

… Chuck Entz, 4 April, 2007 - 12:13am

Moved (tentatively)

To Aleyrodidae guide page

… Chuck Entz, 28 April, 2006 - 11:47pm

Psyllid?

Hello, I think that these are psyllids. They produce that waxy cottony "stuff" in the nymphal stages to either conceal themselves or make themselves unpalatable to predators. My money in on the unpalatability rather than the concealment.

Nice picture - what did you use to take it?

Cheers

… David Robertson, 26 January, 2006 - 12:09pm

Psyllids

Thanks!

I used a Konica-Minolta Dimage Z6. I just got it, so I'm not completely up to speed on the finer points of using it. It can focus from a distance of 1 cm in super-macro mode and also has 12X zoom, so I can basically capture any detail visible to the naked eye in good light without any other equipment.

… Chuck Entz, 27 January, 2006 - 11:45am

No idea.

I have no idea what these are, but wanted to compliment you for taking images of an oft-neglected group of insects. Way to go, keep it up:-)

… Eric R. Eaton, 23 January, 2006 - 2:06pm

Thanks!

My goal is to document and identify every organism here in my little 50 x 100 foot suburban lot, so I take pictures of everything.

… Chuck Entz, 27 January, 2006 - 12:01pm