The scale insect fauna (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) on the mistletoe Phoradendron flavescens (Loranthaceae) in Alabama was studied from 1999-2002. Our study focused on the scale insects on mistletoes collected from oaks (Quercus spp.). Three scale insects are newly reported on P. flavescens. These are Icerya purchasi (Margarodidae), Ferrisia sp. (Pseudococcidae), and Ceroplastes ceriferus (Coccidae). This increases the list of scale insects on P. flavescens to 25 species in 4 families.
It is interesting that although both oaks and mistletoes are attacked by scale insects, no species overlap is seen. Furthermore, because mistletoes grow from seeds that go through a bird's digestive tract, scale insects are not found on the young seedling stage of the mistletoe. This indicates that colonization of scale insects on mistletoes on oak trees has to come from an alternative source. Scale insects have not been able to specialize on mistletoe due to this unusual method of seed dispersal by birds, which may also explain why only polyphagous species are found. Colonization of scale insects onto mistletoes most likely results from scale insect crawlers being carried by ants, birds or squirrels moving from nearby infested plants, or by wind dispersal after the mistletoe has settled on its host. The colonization of mistletoes by scale insects is analogous to studies of colonization of empty islands by Simberloff and Wilson (1968), but in a terrestrial setting.
Species 1: Homoptera Coccidae Ceroplastes ceriferus (Indian wax scale)
Species 2: Homoptera Margarodidae Icerya purchasi (cottony cushion scale)
Species 3: Homoptera Pseudococcidae Ferrisia
Keywords: american mistletoe
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