Underground scale insects?

Moved

Moved from Ground Pearls.
Based on this, 'ground pearls' are not just in the genus Margarodes, so I'm moving these up to family level.

… Charley Eiseman, 3 February, 2011 - 6:52pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Charley Eiseman, 3 February, 2011 - 6:46pm

I wonder if they could be the

I wonder if they could be the empty "shells" of Ground Pearls (Margarodes sp.)?

… Dennis Haines, 3 February, 2011 - 6:25pm

That's what I was wondering...

but I couldn't find any images of them that really look like this.

… Charley Eiseman, 3 February, 2011 - 6:29pm

Most pictures feature the liv

Most pictures feature the live nymphs in their "cysts" or "shells" and they seem to be more yellow. But they're described as being yellowish-purple. These are clearly empty of the insect that was inside (assuming ground pearls) and so they may age to this brownish color. Its just a guess, but I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

… Dennis Haines, 3 February, 2011 - 6:34pm

According to

this website, "The voided, waxy, spherical covering of the insect is the most likely structure to be encountered. The sphere is pink to yellowish-brown in color and measures from 1/6 of an inch in diameter to as small as a grain of sand."

Seems pretty good to me; I'll move these to the (new) guide page, and hopefully someone will let us know if we're wrong.

… Charley Eiseman, 3 February, 2011 - 6:45pm

Comments