Coccus trichodes Anderson

Williams, D. J., 2002, Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) described by James Anderson M. D. of Madras, Journal of Natural History 36 (2), pp. 237-246 : 244

Coccus trichodes Anderson

Coccus trichodes Anderson, 1787e: 4 ; 1787g: 2; 1788a: 4; 1788b: 20, 25; Signoret, 1877: 625; Fernald, 1903: 327.

In letter No. 3, Anderson (1787a: 5) referred to a`viviparous insect covered with white Farina on the Robinia Grandi X ora, or Agaty Jumbo of the Tamuls on the Psidium Guajava and Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis with a nipple between the two foremost pair of legs, a drawing of which is enclosed No. 8’. In the later version of this letter, Anderson (1788b: 3) again referred to ®gure 8 but only to the species on Robinia mitis (presumably altered from R. grandi X ora) and on H. rosa sinensis . He referred to a diOEerent insect on Psidium guajava and Hibiscus rosa sinensis . After placing branches of the guava tree on Opuntia plants, the guava insects multiplied on the cactus so that the leaves were entirely covered with a white hairy scurf. Anderson’s ®gure 9 refers to this insect and his ®gure 10, the ¯y, is a fairly good representation of an adult male mealybug and is accompanied by a description discussing two very remarkable hairs being perfectly opaque and white and only a little longer than the ¯y. He described ®gure 11 as a caterpillar but this is probably a chrysopid larva.

The name Coccus trichodes , or guava Coccus , ®rst appeared in the 11th letter ( Anderson, 1787e). Host plants listed are Psidium Guajava , Annona Squamosa , Solanum Lycopersicum , Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis and Phasioli [5 Phasiolus ].

There is no doubt that the name Coccus trichodes is valid and that it refers to a mealybug of the family Pseudococcidae . Although the species is probably Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) , there is no positive evidence of its correct identity and it should be left under its original name.