Unknown insect/invert

[matt_xyz]

Could anyone tell me what this is please? The underside of the leaves of my Jasmine climber are covered in them. They look a bit like small woodlice (but obviously aren't) and have a white fluffy patch underneath and in front of them. They are about 8-10mm in length, excluding the white fluff. You can see a couple of tiny mites on the leaf.



Any thoughts most welcome.

Matt

[Paul mabbott]

It's certainly a coccoid, scale insect and looks very much like the 'horse chestnut scale', Pulvinaria regalis. I've not heard of this on Jasminum but it is a very unfussy pest!

[matt_xyz]

ah, thanks Paul.

Matt

[Paul mabbott]

PS I suspect that those 'mites' may be the young scales - I think they only have three pairs of legs and maybe, one of them, antennae. Scales are fascinating beasts (and a serious pain for farmers/gardeners!) with very disparate appearances between males-females and young-old. The mature female that we see most obviously is actually dead at this stage and her body shields eggs and then first instar nymphs - possibly your 'mites': I've never actually studied them but nice, stimulating pictures!

[matt_xyz]

thanks again Paul, I've just been reading up on them and they are indeed fascinating creatures.

Matt

[HeidiS]

Hi,
I'm not a scale insect specialist but a colleague of mine is and I'll post his comment as he isn't a WAB member:

"Pulvinaria regalis is not recorded feeding on jasmine and normally oviposits on bark. The picture shows camellia scale, Pulvinaria floccifera, which is recorded feeding on jasmine and normally oviposits on foliage. Both of these Pulvinaria species are exotic introductions. Further information on P. floccifera is avaliable from the following link:

http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/...ne09Issue2.pdf "

[Paul mabbott]

Thanks for the info, Heidi - this had passed me by entirely. Shall need to look more closely in future.
Interestingly, this year, I've been seeing an unusually large number of Pulvinaria scales on foliage of various trees - perhaps they have been P. floccifera?

[GrayB]

Matt, thanks for posting this, I'd wondered what these were myself as my Japanese Maple is covered with them and after viewing shots I'd taken on my laptop I thought they were some kind of fungus, so now I know
Cheers.
Gray.