Planococcus ficus

Geographic Range

The vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus , is predominantly found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This species is commonly found throughout South Africa, the Mediterranean and Mexico. They have also been found in parts of Asia, Europe, California, Pakistan, and Israel. It is unclear which populations are native and which have been introduced to these regions. Transportation of contaminated nursery plant material and field equipment has allowed the vine mealybug species to rapidly spread out all over different regions of the world. They are difficult to see, and since they came into California in 1994 they have colonized 17 different counties, including the San Joaquin Valley, foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Central Coast, and North Coast vineyards.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
• palearctic palearctic
• ethiopian ethiopian
• neotropical neotropical

Habitat

Vine mealybugs live in colonies on different types of plants. They mostly live on subtropical and tropical plants for their fruit, but they are sometimes found in common weedy plants. They migrate up and down parts of the plant during different seasons of the year. This depends on the absence or presence of natural enemies, temperature and availability of food. They spend the winter months in colonies on the lower parts of the plant, under the bark or underground in the roots, living down to 30 cm underneath the ground. During the spring and summer months, they move upward on the plant. However, the largest portions of vine mealybugs live inside the trunk of the plant year round.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest
• rainforest rainforest

• Other Habitat Features
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

The male and female vine mealybugs are different in appearance and in size. The females are much larger than the males, being approximately 4 mm in length, 2 mm wide and 1.5 mm thick. Females usually weigh 100 to 200 times more than the males. Females are segmented with a pink to slate-grey-colored appearance, and their body is covered in a fine white powdery wax layer. They have waxy hair-like extensions and a dark thin line of denuded wax running down the back of their body. They have no wings.

The male P. ficus is very tiny and delicate. It is less than 1 mm long with a pair of inconspicuous, transparent wings. Males appear brownish in color, with a beaded antenna, and a thorax that is wider than their abdomen. They have two long filaments, called anal seta, that are used for flight stabilization. One very unique characteristic of the males is the fact that they do not have any functioning mouthparts, so they have to use their anal seta filaments to feed.

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• heterothermic heterothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• female larger
• sexes colored or patterned differently
• female more colorful
• sexes shaped differently

Development

Females go through incomplete metamorphosis, passing through five growth stages. The stages include an egg stage, three nymphal instar (crawlers) stages, and an adult stage which allows for reproduction.

Males go through complete metamorphosis. They go through seven different growth stages, with the third stage showing male characteristics. Just like the females, the males go through an egg and three nymphal instar stages, but then they undergo pre-pupae, pupae and an adult stage, which allows the male to fly short distances, and mate with other adult females.

• Development - Life Cycle
• metamorphosis metamorphosis

Reproduction

Planococcus ficus can mate all year long, but most of its mating occurs during the warmer months of spring and summer. Mating is much less frequent during the winter. When a female is fully developed and ready to mate, she releases a pheromone that will attract males to mate with her. The females can mate up to eight times in a single day. Many males die after mating, but the ones who survive will mate again the following day. Males will mate as much as possible during their lifetime.

• Mating System
• polygynandrous (promiscuous) polygynandrous (promiscuous)

The number of matings affects the amount of egg production. Planococcus ficus reproduces quickly and often, allowing vine mealybug colonies to go through multiple generations of offspring in a single year. A single female can produce any where from 50 to 800 viable offspring depending on the food supply and environmental conditions at the time. The eggs are placed in cotton-like ovisacs for development, which can be stored anywhere on the host plant or underground.

• Key Reproductive Features
• semelparous semelparous
• year-round breeding year-round breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
  • internal internal
• oviparous oviparous

When P. ficus females lay their eggs, they lay the eggs in ovisacs for development. They also provide provisioning in the eggs. After the eggs are laid, they leave the offspring to survive on their own. There is no further parental care for the eggs or the young.

• Parental Investment
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

It takes about 31.6 days for both the males and the females to reach full maturity, and they live on average about 68 days total depending on environmental conditions, food supply and predators.

Behavior

Vine mealybugs live in colonies on plants, where development, reproduction, and feeding all takes place. They work together for food and protection. Females lack wings and are unable to fly, while males may make short flights.

• Key Behaviors
• flies
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• colonial colonial

Home Range

Females stay on the same plant for the majority of their lives, only moving to breed, or for survival. Males will sometimes take short flights to other plants and colonies to feed and mate.

Communication and Perception

There is little known about the communication and perception of Planococcus ficus . Females communicate with potential male mates by releasing pheromones.

• Communication Channels
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• pheromones pheromones

• Perception Channels
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Planococcus ficus are herbivores. They feed on several agricultural and weedy plant species. Grapevines are, however, the preferred host of the vine mealybug. They also feed on apples, avocado, banana, date palm, fig, mango and citrus as well. They feed on the phloem sap of the plants they live on, which is why these tropical and subtropical fruits are prime targets for P. ficus colonies.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • eats sap or other plant foods

• Plant Foods
• roots and tubers
• fruit
• sap or other plant fluids

Predation

Predators of Planococcus ficus include many insect species, particularly beetles, such as Cryptolaemus montrouzieri and Nephus reunioni . Lady beetles ( Coccinellidae ) are notable predators of mealybugs, and be even used as a natural biocontrol method of mealybug infestations. Parasitoids and other parasites are also responsible for many deaths of vine mealybugs. Some P. ficus colonies form mutualistic relationships with ants, where the ants feed on the honeydew produced by the mealybugs, and in return protect the mealybugs from predators and parasitoids.

Ecosystem Roles

Vine mealybugs invade weedy plants, fig trees, grapevines, and other fruit plants. They use them as a place to feed, reproduce and live their lives. Extremely large colonies will sometimes kill the plant by over feeding, but most of the time it’s just the fruit of the plant that is destroyed by the vine mealybugs.

Many colonies of Planococcus ficus form mutualistic relationships with neighboring ant colonies. The ants feed on the sugar rich honeydew that P. ficus produces. In exchange, the ants will dig tunnels and help the mealybugs move underground for the winter months, or if climate conditions are more favorable underground. The ants will also protect the mealybugs from parasites and predators, such as lady beetles .

There are many parasitoids that use the bodies of vine mealybugs to reproduce in. Leptomastidea abnormis is one such parasitoid. These parasitoids enter the mealybug by a natural opening, such as the mouth, anus or spiracles. Once inside, the parasitoid will release bacteria from its stomach. The bacterium grows rapidly and produces toxins that kill the host within 48 hours. Then, the parasitoid can reproduce and feed inside the dead host. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are also responsible for the mortality of many vine mealybugs. The nematodes that belong to families Heterorhabditidae and Steunernematidae are deadly insect pathogens that infect mealybugs and kill them. These nematodes are being considered as a pest control mechanism in vineyards.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

There are no known positive effects of Planococcus ficus on humans.

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Vine mealybugs are pests that invade various fruit crops and ornamental plants wherever they are found in the world, and are of serious economic importance. Planococcus ficus destroys the crop it invades, especially grapevines. A sooty mold grows on their waxy secretions, egg-sacs and honeydew productions making the fruit inedible and unmarketable. The vine mealybug colonies produce large quantities of honeydew and many eggs, making it easier and more common for mold to grow on the plant that they are living on. Vine mealybugs are also a vector of grapevine leaf roll-associated virus 3, which reduces the amount of photosynthesis that takes place in the plant. This destroys the grapes, one again making them inedible and unmarketable.

• Negative Impacts
• crop pest

Conservation Status

Planococcus ficus has no special conservation status.

Other Comments

The common name ‘mealybug’ is derived from the white mealy or powdery wax that these species secrete to cover their bodies.

The vine mealybug was first discovered in South Africa in 1914.

It is very common for old vine mealybugs to lose their legs, and die shortly afterwards.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

BioKIDS Critter Catalog

Contributors

Dylan Berning (author), Grand View University, Graham Dawson (author), Grand View University, Mike Foggia (author), Grand View University, Felicitas Avendano (editor), Grand View University, Dan Chibnall (editor), Grand View University, Angela Miner (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.

References

Daane, K., J. Walker, M. Botton, M. Fallahzadeh, J. Miano, R. Almedia, V. Walton. 2012. "Biology and Management of Mealybugs in Vineyards" (On-line pdf). nature.berkley.edu. Accessed March 13, 2014 at http://nature.berkeley.edu/~rodrigoalmeida/Lab%20page/papers/Daane12.pdf .

Daugherty, M. 2013. "Vine Mealybug: Planococcus ficus " (On-line). UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research. Accessed March 13, 2014 at https://cisr.ucr.edu/vine_mealybug.html .

Malakar-Kuenen, R., K. Daane. 2014. "Vine Mealybug, Planococcus ficus Signoret" (On-line). SpringerReference. Accessed March 13, 2014 at http://www.springerreference.com/docs/html/chapterdbid/89123.html .

Mustu, M., N. Kilincer. 2006. "Life table and some feeding features of Nephus kreissli fed on Planococcus ficus " (On-line). ResearchGate. Accessed March 13, 2014 at http://www.researchgate.net/publication/257790754_Life_table_and_some_feeding_features_of_Nephus_kreissli_fed_on_Planococcus_ficus .

Rzavea, L. 1985. "Parasites and predators of the grape mealybug ( Planococcus ficus Signoret) and introduction of new natural enemies into the eastern Transcaucasus." (On-line). CAB Direct. Accessed March 15, 2014 at http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19850530159.html;jsessionid=DC2D4932AA6961E12C13FC4D6BF317DD .

Vieux, P., A. Malan. 2013. "An Overview of the Vine Mealybug ( Planococcus ficus ) in South African Vineyards and the use of Entomopathogenic Nematodes as potential Biocontrol Agent" (On-line pdf). South African Society for Enology and Viticulture. Accessed March 12, 2014 at http://www.sasev.org/journal/list-of-journals/an-overview-of-the-vine-mealybug-planococcus-ficus-in-south-african-vineyards-and-the-use-of-entomopathogenic-nematodes-as-potential-biocontrol-agent/?id=14&entryId=177 .

Waterworth, R., I. Wright, J. Millar. 2011. Reproductive Biology of Three Cosmopolitan Mealybug ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) Species, Pseudococcus longispinus , Pseudococcus viburni , and Planococcus ficus . Annals of the Entomological Society of America , 104/2: 249-260. Accessed March 13, 2014 at http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1603/AN10139 .