Cotton Cushion Scale - Icerya purchasi

Family Margarodidae

This page contains pictures and information about Cotton Cushion Scales that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Dia 6mm

The Cotton Cushion Scale are also known as Australian mealybug and Fluted scale. The picture shows a matured female cottony cushion scale. The white cottony substance is her egg sac. Males are rare and females can reproduce without mating.



Newly hatched nymphs are red with dark legs and antennae. Cotton Cushion Scales feed on twigs and leaves. They can be the serious pest for gardens and orchards. Ladybirds and lacewings are their natural enemy.



Reference:
1. A field guide to insects in Australia - By Paul Zborowski and Ross Storey, Reed New Holland, 1996, p86.
2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p173.