First Florida State Record of Chrysomphalus bifasciculatus Ferris

Chrysomphalus bifasciculatus Ferris (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), false Florida red scale, was first found in California in 1938 (Ferris 1938). Since then, it is known in 12 U.S. states (Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia), two of which border Florida. It is also reported from several countries in Asia and South America (García et al. 2016). The first Florida sample (E2017-4531-1) was collected by Mary Jane Echols, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI), from cast-iron plant, Aspidistra elatior Blume (Liliaceae), on November 28, 2017, from Macclenny, Baker County, Florida. More samples (E2018-153-1) from the same host plant species in the same area were collected on January 12, 2018, confirming that the host plants were locally grown and had not been imported from out of the state, and that this scale species was established in Florida. All samples were confirmed as C. bifasiculatus.

The genus Chrysomphalus Ashmead includes seventeen species, some of which are major pests. Three species other than C. bifasiculatus are found in the U.S., C. aonidum Linnaeus (reported from Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas), C. dictyospermi (Morgan) (Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas), and C. diversicolor Green (Alabama) (García et al. 2016). There are two species of Chrysomphalus in Florida, C. aonidum and C. dictyospermi. The false Florida red scale, C. bifasciculatus, is an invasive species in the United States; its area of origin is most likely East Asia (Miller and Davidson 1990; Smith-Pardo et al. 2012).