Landcare Research - Manaaki Whenua

Landcare-Research -Manaaki Whenua

Lowland

Broadleaf forest, Waitakere ranges. Image - Fiona Henderson

Broadleaf forest, Waitakere ranges. Image - Fiona Henderson

Mixed broadleaf forest

There are 17 different soft scale insects here:

<em>Aphenochiton pubens</em>. Adult female.

Aphenochiton pubens Henderson & Hodgson

Translucent scale
<em>Aphenochiton subtilis</em>. Adult female. The rows of waxy plates covering the insect body show up particularly well because this photo was taken with cross-lighting.

Aphenochiton subtilis Henderson & Hodgson

Filmy scale
<em>Crystallotesta ornata</em>. Left: a young adult female. Right: a mature female; both are facing down the twig.

Crystallotesta ornata (Maskell)

Ornate scale
<em>Ctenochiton chelyon</em>. Two adult females together and several of their crawlers (young scales) walking around them [the leaf has dried up after being collected].

Ctenochiton chelyon Henderson & Hodgson

Turtleshell scale
<em>Ctenochiton paraviridis</em>. Left: a young adult female. Right: a mature female with several new crawlers nearby on the leaf.

Ctenochiton paraviridis Henderson & Hodgson

Spotted sixpenny  scale
<em>Ctenochiton toru</em>. A mature female. She has caused the leaf to curl on its edge.

Ctenochiton toru Henderson & Hodgson

Toronia scale
<em>Ctenochiton viridis</em>. a mature female with a new crawler walking away on the leaf.

Ctenochiton viridis Maskell

Sixpenny scale
<em>Epelidochiton piperis</em>. Four young adult females on the left (various yellow - green - greyish-brown colours); a mature female (dark grey) on the right; and the smaller white scale is an empty male test (cover) ... the adult male has already emerged.

Epelidochiton piperis  (Maskell)

Peppercorn scale
<em>Inglisia patella</em>. Young adult female.

Inglisia patella Maskell

Limpet scale
<em>Kalasiris depressa</em>. Left: young adult female. Right: mature adult female. Her body (greenish colour) has shrunk into the front half of her waxy test.

Kalasiris depressa (Maskell)

Glassy coprosma scale
<em>Kalasiris perforata</em>. Left: young adult female. Right: adult female secreting new wax on the pattern lines of her test.

Kalasiris perforata (Maskell)

Fringed scale
<em>Plumichiton flavus</em>. Adult female.

Plumichiton flavus (Maskell)

Golden plumed scale
<em>Plumichiton elaeocarpi</em>. Left: young adult female. Right: mature adult female. She has a hardened black skin and only the remains of a wax test: a little on the top and a worn down marginal fringe.

Plumichiton elaeocarpi (Maskell)

Black plumed scale
<em>Umbonichiton hymenantherae</em>. Young adult female.

Umbonichiton hymenantherae (Maskell)

Rough scale

Kamahi, nīkau and ferns

<em>Aphenochiton kamahi</em>. An adult female. The yellower part in the middle is her unborn crawlers, and the small orange-brown spot her anal plates (where she gets rid of honeydew); the outer part is nearly transparent. These scales are the thinnest and roundest of all the native soft scales. They are very hard to see and look like a film of water on the underside of a leaf.

Aphenochiton kamahi Henderson & Hodgson

Transparent kamahi scale
<em>Plumichiton nikau</em>. An adult female. She is convex with a thick glassy wax test.

Plumichiton nikau Henderson& Hodgson

Glassy nīkau scale
<em>Pounamococcus cuneatus</em>. Left: young adult female. Right: mature adult female.

Pounamococcus cuneatus Henderson & Hodgson

Glassy fern scale