Wax Scale Insect Research Articles

Variation of gene expression of fatty acid acyl CoA reductase associated with wax secretion of a scale insect, Ericerus pela, and identification of its regulation factors through the accessible chromatin analyses and yeast one-hybrid.

The Chinese white wax scale insect (CWWSI), Ericerus pela, can secret an amount of wax equivalent to their body weight. Previous studies demonstrated the fatty acyl-CoA reductase (far3) plays a pivotal role in wax secretion of CWWSI. The high expression of far3 is crucial for the massive wax secretion. However, the transcription regulation of far3 was not clear. To identify regulatory factors that control the expression of far3, the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (ATAC) and yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) were carried out in this study. The ATAC sequencing of the CWWSI at the early wax-secretion stage ATAC-seq resulted in 22.75 GB raw data, generated 75,827,225 clean reads and revealed 142,771 peaks. There was one significant peak in the 3 kb upstream regulation regions. The peak sequence is located between -1000 and -670 bp upstream of the far3 transcription start site, spanning a length of 331 bp. This peak sequence served as bait for creating the pAbAi-peak recombinant vector, used in Y1H screenings to identify proteins interacting with far3 gene. The results indicate a successful CWWSI cDNA library construction with a capacity of 1.2 × 107 colony forming unit, a 95.8% recombination rate, and insert sizes between 1,000 and 2,000 bp. Self-activation tests established that 100 ng/mL of AbA effectively inhibited bait vector self-activation. Finally, a total of 88 positive clones were selected. After sequencing and removal of duplication, 63 unique clones were obtained from these screened colonies. By aligning the clone sequences with full-length transcriptome and genome of CWWSI, the full-length coding sequences of these clones were obtained. BlastX analysis identified a transcription factor, nuclear transcription factor Y beta, and two co-activators, cAMP-response-element-binding-protein-binding protein and WW domain binding protein 2. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed that their expression patterns were consistent with the developmental stages preceding wax secretion and matched the wax secretion characteristics during ovulation periods. These results are beneficial for further research into the regulatory mechanisms of wax secretion of CWWSI.

Field survey of fig wax scale insect Ceroplastes rustic L. (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in fig fields of Al-Kifl district/Babylon Governorate and study the effect of some environmental factors on egg hatching

The harmful effects of wax scale insect C.rusci L. on fig trees cultivated widely in the Al-Kifl district / southern Babylon governorate in the last two years was the main reason for designing this study. The study involved experiments; the first was a field survey to have scientific evidence about the widespread of C. rusci and estimated the infection rate in plants, then tried to find a relationship between environmental factors in this area and studied insects. The second experiment deals with the efficacy of some factors (egg locations, temperature and time) on egg hatching of C.rusci. The results provided good information about fig plants' temperature and infection rates with C. rusci. The range of temperature degrees, which showed a high level of infection, was 26.5-33.4 ºC. Meanwhile, the highest infection rate was recorded in October, followed by June. The second experiment showed that temperature was a limiting factor for egg hatching; therefore, there was no hatching of C.rusci eggs when the temperature was below 15 ºC. When the temperature is above this level (15 ºC), a new limitation factor appears in the egg's location. This experiment proved that the existence of an egg under a fold, which covers the insect, is necessary for egg hatching. Keywords: Ceratoplastes rusci, Temperature, Field survey, Egg hatching.

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of the Chinese White Wax Scale Insect, Ericerus pela Chavannes (Hemiptera: Coccidae), with Novel Gene Arrangement and Truncated tRNA Genes.

The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela Chavannes (Hemiptera: Coccidae), is one of the scale insects with great economic value and has been dispersed and reared in China for over one thousand years. Its mitochondrial genome provides essential information for the molecular identification and genetic study of this species. We assembled the complete mitochondrial genome of E. pela based on PacBio sequencing and analyzed its genomic features. The genome was 17,766 bp in length with 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, and two rRNA genes. The analysis results showed E. pela had significant gene rearrangements involving tRNAs compared with other Coccoidea species. Furthermore, E. pela's nine tRNAs were identified to have obvious truncated structures. The phylogenetic tree compiled of the species showed a long branch of the Coccoidea lineage, which indicated the high evolutionary rate in this group. Our study revealed the mitochondrial characteristics of E. pela and enriched the mitochondrial genetic information on Coccoidea species. It also determined the occurrence of gene rearrangement for the species in this superfamily.

Identification of the Key Pathways and Genes Involved in the Wax Biosynthesis of the Chinese White Wax Scale Insect (Ericerus pela Chavannes) by Integrated Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis.

The white wax secreted by the male insects of the Chinese white wax scale (CWWS) is a natural high-molecular-weight compound with important economic value. However, its regulatory mechanism of wax biosynthesis is still unclear. In this study, a weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to analyze transcriptome data of first- and second-instar females, early and late female adults, and first- and second-instar males. A total of 19 partitioned modules with different topological overlaps were obtained, and three modules were identified as highly significant for wax secretion (p < 0.05). A total of 30 hub genes were obtained through screening, among which elongation of very-long-chain fatty acids protein (ELOVL) and fatty acyl-CoA reductase (FAR) are important catalytic enzymes of fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, their metabolic catalytic products are involved in the synthesis of wax biosynthesis. The results demonstrate that WGCNA can be used for insect transcriptome analysis and effectively screen out the key genes related to wax biosynthesis.

Analyses of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Paraconiothyrium sp. and Gene Rearrangement Diversity in the Pleosporales

The Pleosporales is the most predominant order in the Dothideomycetes class, which contains over 4700 species that function in a variety of ways. The material used in this research was previously isolated from the Chinese white wax scale insect, and it was determined to be a Paraconiothyrium genus species that belonged to the Pleosporales order. For further molecular analysis, we assembled the complete mitochondrial genome of Paraconiothyrium sp. based on short reads of BGISEQ sequencing and subreads from Pacbio sequencing. The results showed that it was 42,734 bp in length and contained 8 open reading frames, 12 protein-coding genes and 31 non-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed it was affiliated to the Pleosporales order and formed a sister relationship with Pithomyces chartarum. Compared to the seven other species in the Pleosporales order, Paraconiothyrium sp. has generally conserved gene content and structure, while the homologous blocks and gene order were shown to be significantly rearranged, in accordance with the species diversity in the Pleosporales order. In this study, we presented the first mitochondrial genome of Paraconiothyrium fungi to be reported, and we also showed gene order diversity in the Pleosporales order. These findings will lay the foundation for further species studies regarding molecular diversity and our understanding of species characteristics in the Paraconiothyrium genus.

Two Cladosporium Fungi with Opposite Functions to the Chinese White Wax Scale Insect Have Different Genome Characters.

Insects encounter infection of microorganisms, and they also harbor endosymbiosis to participate in nutrition providing and act as a defender against pathogens. We previously found the Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, was infected and killed by Cladosporium sp. (pathogen). We also found it harbored Cladosporium sp. (endogensis). In this study, we cultured these two Cladosporium fungi and sequenced their genome. The results showed Cladosporium sp. (endogensis) has a larger genome size and more genes than Cladosporium sp. (pathogen). Pan-genome analysis showed Cladosporium sp. (endogensis)-specific genes enriched in pathways related to nutrition production, such as amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy metabolism. These pathways were absent in that of Cladosporium sp. (pathogen). Gene Ontology analysis showed Cladosporium sp. (pathogen)-specific genes enriched in the biosynthesis of asperfuranone, emericellamide, and fumagillin. These terms were not found in that of Cladosporium sp. (endogensis). Pathogen Host Interactions analysis found Cladosporium sp. (endogensis) had more genes related to loss of pathogenicity and reduced virulence than Cladosporium sp. (pathogen). Cytotoxicity assay indicated Cladosporium sp. (pathogen) had cytotoxicity, while Cladosporium sp. (endogensis) had no cytotoxicity. These characters reflect the adaptation of endosymbiosis to host-restricted lifestyle and the invader of the entomopathogen to the host.

Genomic Analyses of the Fungus Paraconiothyrium sp. Isolated from the Chinese White Wax Scale Insect Reveals Its Symbiotic Character.

The Chinese white wax scale, Ericerus pela, is an insect native to China. It harbors a variety of microbes. The Paraconiothyrium fungus was isolated from E. pela and genome sequenced in this study. A fungal cytotoxicity assay was performed on the Aedes albopictus cell line C6/36. The assembled Paraconiothyrium sp. genome was 39.55 Mb and consisted of 14,174 genes. The coding sequences accounted for 50.75% of the entire genome. Functional pathway analyses showed that Paraconiothyrium sp. possesses complete pathways for the biosynthesis of 20 amino acids, 10 of which E. pela lacks. It also had complementary genes in the vitamin B groups synthesis pathways. Secondary metabolism prediction showed many gene clusters that produce polyketide. Additionally, a large number of genes associated with ‘reduced virulence’ in the genome were annotated with the Pathogen–Host Interaction database. A total of 651 genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes were predicted to be mostly involved in plant polysaccharide degradation. Pan-specific genomic analyses showed that genes unique to Paraconiothyrium sp. were enriched in the pathways related to amino acid metabolism and secondary metabolism. GO annotation analysis yielded similar results. The top COG categories were ‘carbohydrate transport and metabolism’, ‘lipid transport and metabolism’, and ‘secondary metabolite biosynthesis, transport and catabolism’. Phylogenetic analyses based on gene family and pan genes showed that Paraconiothyrium sp is clustered together with species from the Didymosphaeriaceae family. A multi-locus sequence analysis showed that it converged with the same branch as P. brasiliense and they formed one group with fungi from the Paraconiothyrium genus. To validate the in vitro toxicity of Paraconiothyrium sp., a cytotoxicity assay was performed. The results showed that medium-cultured Paraconiothyrium sp. had no harmful effect on cell viability. No toxins were secreted by the fungus during growth. Our results imply that Paraconiothyrium sp. may establish a symbiotic relationship with the host to supply complementary nutrition to E. pela.

Genome assembly and methylome analysis of the white wax scale insect provides insight into sexual differentiation of metamorphosis in hexapods.

Scale insects are hemimetabolous, showing "incomplete" metamorphosis and no true pupal stage. Ericerus pela, commonly known as the white wax scale insect (hereafter, WWS), is a wax-producing insect found in Asia and Europe. WWS displays dramatic sexual dimorphism, with notably different metamorphic fates in males and females. Males develop into winged adults, while females are neotenic and maintain a nymph-like appearance, which are flightless and remain stationary. Here, we report the de novo assembly of the WWS genome with a size of 638.30Mbp (69.68Mbp for scaffold N50) by PacBio sequencing and Hi-C. These data allowed us to perform a robust phylogenetic analysis comprising 24,923 gene orthogroups from 16 representative insect genomes. This analysis indicated that holometabola evolved from insects with incomplete metamorphosis in the Late Carboniferous, about 50 million years earlier than previously thought. To study the distinct developmental fates of males and females, we analysed the methylome landscape in either sex. Surprisingly, WWS displayed high methylation levels (4.42% for males) when compared to other insects. We observed differential methylation patterns in males and females for genes involved in steroid and sesquiterpenoid production as well as genes acting in fatty acid metabolism pathways. We measured titre profiles for ecdysone, the principal insect steroid hormone, and juvenile hormone (a sesquiterpenoid) in both males and females, which suggested that these hormones are the primary drivers of sexually dimorphic development. Our results provide a comprehensive genomic and epigenomic resource of scale insects that provide new insights into the evolution of metamorphosis and sexual dimorphism in insects.

Transcriptome analyses and weighted gene coexpression network analysis reveal key pathways and genes involved in the rapid cold resistance of the Chinese white wax scale insect.

The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, is an important resource insect in China. The rapid response of E. pela to decreasing temperatures plays key roles in the population distribution. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression of E. pela treated with low temperature using transcriptome analyses and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). The results showed that the cold resistance of E. pela involved changes in the expression of many genes. The genes were mainly involved in alcohol formation activity, lipid metabolism, membrane and structure, and oxidoreductase activity. According to the WGCNA results, some pathways related to cold resistance were found in the genes in the modules, such as cytoskeleton proteins, cytoskeleton protein pathway, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, glycerophospholipid metabolism, ether lipid metabolism, and thermogenesis. Some of the hub genes were nonspecific lipid-transfer proteins, DnaJ homolog subfamily C member 13, paramyosin, tropomodulin, and tubulin beta chain. In particular, the hub genes of the tan module included the heat shock protein (hsp) 10, hsp 60, hsp 70, and hsp 90 genes. Thirty-five antifreeze protein (afp) genes were identified according to the annotation results. Three afp genes were further identified among the hub genes. Six of these genes were selected for heterogeneous protein expression. One of them was expressed successfully. The thermal hysteresis activity (THA) analyses showed that the THA was 1.73°C. These results showed that the cytoskeleton, lipid metabolism, thermogenesis, HSPs and AFPs may play important roles in the cold resistance of E. pela.

Ecological studies on the wax scale insect Waxiella mimosae (Signoret) and the mealybug Trabutina serpentina (Green) infested Tamarix trees in Giza Governorate

Ecological studies have been conducted on the population of the wax scale insect Waxiella mimosae (Signoret) and the mealybug Trabutina serpentina (Green) infesting Tamarix trees for 2 successive years (2016-2017) and (2017 and 2018) in Giza Governorate. Obtained results showed that both insects’ population were higher in the 1st year than the 2nd one. W. mimosae recorded about 3-4 peaks of total population in 1st and 2nd year, respectively. The highest population of insects was recorded in September 2016, and the nymphal stage was the most numerous than other stages. The highest rate of increase was recorded in the 1st year with 2.97 with temperature ranged between (15.13-24.00°C) and average relative humidity of 51.93%. It recorded 4 annual overlapping generations/year, the longest generations recorded 195 and 165 days from October till April in both years. Two parasitoids (with a new record parasitoid in Egypt) and two predators were recorded associated with W. mimosae in low densities that appeared mostly in spring months. The effect of mean temperature was significant on the insect population but the relative humidity effect was insignificant in both years. T. serpentina recorded 4 and 3 peaks in the 1st and 2nd year, respectively. The highest population was in 1st December and 1st February in the 1st and 2nd year, respectively. The highest rate of increase was recorded in 1st year with 2.5 in mid-January 2017. Whereas, it recorded 3 annual overlapping generations the longest one was from mid-December till 1st of May 2017 with 135 days in the 1st year while in the 2nd year each one of the 3 overlapping generations recorded 75 days. The effects of the three studied weather factors were insignificant. One associated parasitoid was recorded in low density.

Genome sequence of the Chinese white wax scale insect Ericerus pela: the first draft genome for the Coccidae family of scale insects.

BackgroundThe Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, is best known for producing wax, which has been widely used in candle production, casting, Chinese medicine, and wax printing products for thousands of years. The secretion of wax, and other unusual features of scale insects, is thought to be an adaptation to their change from an ancestral ground-dwelling lifestyle to a sedentary lifestyle on the higher parts of plants. As well as helping to improve its economic value, studies of E. pela might also help to explain the adaptation of scale insects. However, no genomic data are currently available for E. pela.FindingsTo assemble the E. pela genome, 303.92 Gb of data were generated using Illumina and Pacific Biosciences sequencing, producing 277.22 Gb of clean data for assembly. The assembled genome size was 0.66 Gb, with 1,979 scaffolds and a scaffold N50 of 735 kb. The guanine + cytosine content was 33.80%. A total of 12,022 protein-coding genes were predicted, with a mean coding sequence length of 1,370 bp. Twenty-six fatty acyl-CoA reductase genes and 35 acyltransferase genes were identified. Evolutionary analysis revealed that E. pela and aphids formed a sister group and split ∼241.1 million years ago. There were 214 expanded gene families and 2,219 contracted gene families in E. pela.ConclusionWe present the first genome sequence from the Coccidae family. These results will help to increase our understanding of the evolution of unique features in scale insects, and provide important genetic information for further research.

The Abiotic and Biotic Factors and Their Relationships with The Population Density of The Sunt Wax Scale Insect, Waxiella mimosae (Signoret) Infesting Sunt Trees in Luxor Governorate, Egypt

The Abiotic and Biotic Factors and Their Relationships with The Population Density of The Sunt Wax Scale Insect, Waxiella mimosae (Signoret) Infesting Sunt Trees in Luxor Governorate, Egypt

A Lethal Fungus Infects the Chinese White Wax Scale Insect and Causes Dramatic Changes in the Host Microbiota

The Chinese white wax scale insect (Ericerus pela) is an economically valuable species with an important role in wax production. Recently, in a greenhouse in Kunming, we identified a genus of fungus that infects and kills E. pela females. This study sought to perform the molecular detection of entomopathogens and analyze the changes in the host microbiota after entomopathogen infection. We used library construction, high-throughput sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to identify the fungi infecting adult E. pela, to understand the changes in the host organism, and to determine the distribution of the entomopathogens. Cladosporium langeronii and C. sphaerospermum were the main pathogenic species that infected the E. pela females, and they were most prevalent in the dorsal cuticle. In vivo, after infection, the proportion of Cladosporium clearly increased. The infection had little influence on the fungal community but had a strong influence on the bacterial community. After infection, Arsenophonus was dominant, and numerous bacterial genera disappeared. However, Rickettsia, instead of Arsenophonus, became dominant in the Cladosporium-infected individuals that had also been infected with Rickettsia. We identified the species that infected E. pela females and determined the influence of infection on the host microorganisms.

Identification and evaluation of reference genes in the Chinese white wax scale insect Ericerus pela.

BackgroundThe Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, is a well-known resource insect. The females and males are dramatically distinct at each developmental stage. We sought to identify suitable reference genes to use as internal controls in molecular research on E. plea.ResultsgeNorm, RefFinder and Normfinder analyses showed that ßTub-2 was the best reference gene throughout different developmental stages; SdhA-1 was the most stable reference gene in different tissues, and ßTub-1 was the most reliable reference gene under treatment with different temperatures. The results also showed that the optimal number of reference genes for analyzing target gene expression levels in the three experimental conditions was two.ConclusionsThe identified reference genes are suitable reference genes for normalization in RT-qPCR of E. pela samples.

Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses on the supercooling ability and mining of antifreeze proteins of the Chinese white wax scale insect.

The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, can survive at extremely low temperatures, and some overwintering individuals exhibit supercooling at temperatures below -30°C. To investigate the deep supercooling ability of E. pela, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed to delineate the major gene and protein families responsible for the deep supercooling ability of overwintering females. Gene Ontology (GO) classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated that genes involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase, calcium, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways and pathways associated with the biosynthesis of soluble sugars, sugar alcohols and free amino acids were dominant. Proteins responsible for low-temperature stress, such as cold acclimation proteins, glycerol biosynthesis-related enzymes and heat shock proteins (HSPs) were identified. However, no antifreeze proteins (AFPs) were identified through sequence similarity search methods. A random forest approach identified 388 putative AFPs in the proteome. The AFP gene ep-afp was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the expressed protein exhibited a thermal hysteresis activity of 0.97°C, suggesting its potential role in the deep supercooling ability of E. pela.

Transcriptome analysis of sexually dimorphic Chinese white wax scale insects reveals key differences in developmental programs and transcription factor expression.

The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, represents one of the most dramatic examples of sexual dimorphism in any insect species. In this study, we showed that although E. pela males display complete metamorphosis similar to holometabolous insects, the species forms the sister group to Acyrthosiphon pisum and cluster with hemimetabolous insects. The gene expression profile and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses revealed that the two sexes engaged in distinct developmental programs. In particular, female development appeared to prioritize the expression of genes related to cellular, metabolic, and developmental processes and to anatomical structure formation in nymphs. By contrast, male nymphal development is characterized by the significant down-regulation of genes involved in chitin, the respiratory system, and neurons. The wing and appendage morphogenesis, anatomical and tissue structure morphogenesis programs activated after male nymphal development. Transcription factors (that convey juvenile hormone or ecdysone signals, and Hox genes) and DNA methyltransferase were also differentially expressed between females and males. These results may indicate the roles that these differentially expressed genes play in regulating sexual dimorphism through orchestrating complex genetic programs. This differential expression was particularly prominent for processes linked to female development and wing development in males.

Protein profiles of Chinese white wax scale, Ericerus pela, at the male pupal stage by high-throughput proteomics.

The Chinese white wax scale insect (Ericerus pela) is sexually dimorphic with holometabolous males and hemimetabolous females. Holometabolous insects were assumed to originate from hemimetabolous ancestors. Therefore, the male pupal stage is a major innovation compared with hemimetabolous female insects. Here, the protein profiles of the male pupae were obtained by high-throughput proteomics and analyzed using bioinformatics methods. A total of 1,437 peptides were identified and assigned to 677 protein groups. Most of the proteins had molecular weights below 40 kDa and isoelectric points from 4 to 7. Gene Ontology terms were assigned to 331 proteins, including metabolic process, developmental process, and cellular process. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes annotations identified 142 pathways and most proteins were assigned to metabolism events. Pathways involved in cell growth and death, signal transduction, folding, and sorting and degradation were also identified. Six proteins that had undergone positive selection were classified into four groups, protein biosynthesis, protein degeneration, signal transduction, and detoxification. Many of the high-abundance proteins were enzymes involved in carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism; signal transduction; degradation; and immunization, which indicated that metabolism, disruption, and development occurred intensely at the pupal stage. These processes are closely related to the physiological status of pupae. The results also suggested that these related proteins may be fundamental factors in the formation of pupae. This study describes pupal characterization at the molecular level and provides a basis for further physiological studies.

Sex Differences in Piercing–Sucking Sites on Leaves of Ligustrum lucidum (Oleaceae) Infested by the Chinese White Wax Scale Insect, Ericerus pela (Chavannes) (Hemiptera: Coccidae)

The type of host tissues and cells ingested by piercing and sucking insects greatly affects their nutrient intake, which may subsequently affect insect fitness. This study describes the sex differences in feeding site selection between male and female nymphs of the Chinese white wax scale insect (CWWS), Ericerus pela (Chavannes), feeding on leaves of the Chinese privet, Ligustrum lucidum. Our data showed that the stylet tips of female nymphs terminated in the phloem sieve elements of main or lateral veins, while those of male nymphs terminated in the palisade parenchyma. We concluded that female nymphs fed from sieve elements and males fed from parenchyma cells. The potential impact of these feeding patterns was discussed in relation to the selection of a site for attachment, nutrient acquisition, and mouthpart stretching mechanism. Among these factors, selection of a site for attachment and mouthpart stretching mechanism may be the main cause of sex differences in feeding sites between female and male nymphs of CWWS.

DNA barcoding of endoparasitoid wasps in the genus Anicetus reveals high levels of host specificity (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

The genus Anicetus includes economically important biocontrol agents that are introduced for control of soft and wax scale insect agricultural pests ( Ceroplastes spp.). Understanding of host–parasitoid associations is critical to the successful outcome of their utilization in biological control projects. However, identification of these parasitoids is often difficult because of their small size and generally similar morphological features, and hence, studies on the host–parasitoid associations. Here, nucleotide sequence data were generated from the mitochondrial COI gene and the D2 region of 28S rRNA to assess genetic variation within and between species of Anicetus occurring in China. The results of this study support the use of the COI and the D2 region of 28S rRNA gene as useful markers in separating species of Anicetus, even in cases where morphological differences are subtle. On the other hand, the COI gene is also useful in recognizing species with much variation in morphology. DNA barcoding reveals high levels of host specificity of endoparasitoids wasps in the genus Anicetus. Our results indicate that each Anicetus species is adapted to a limited set of host species, or even are monospecific in their host choice.

The Identity of the Wax Scale Insect,Ceroplastes myricae(Linnaeus) (Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Coccidae), and a Key to the Wax Scales Recorded from South Africa

What is believed to be the wax scale, Ceroplastes myricae (Linnaeus), has been rediscovered in the region of the type locality in South Africa on the type host plant, Morella quercifolia (L.) Killick (Myricaceae). The adult female is redescribed and illustrated and a neotype designated. In addition, a key to all species of wax scale insect known from South Africa is included.