Identity of the native South American armored scale insect species (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) widely misidentified as the North American species <i>Diaspidiotus ancylus</i> Putnam.

ABSTRACT: The Putnam scale, Diaspidiotus ancylus Putnam, 1878 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae), a species considered to be native to North America, has frequently been reported to be present in Chile and Argentina, attacking a wide variety of orchard crops (apples, pears, olives, nectarines, grapes) and common street trees (poplar, locust). However, diagnostic DNA sequences from Chilean populations identified as D. ancylus differ from those of North American D. ancylus; instead they are identical to those reported for Clavaspis patagonensis Schneider, Claps, Wei, Normark & Normark, 2020, a species previously known only from a single locality in Argentina. We have examined the Chilean and Argentine specimens identified as D. ancylus or Diaspidiotus sp. i

SUBMITTER: Normark BB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12285580 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature