Valid Names Results

Comstockiella sabalis (Comstock, 1883) (Halimococcidae: Comstockiella)

Nomenclatural History

• Aspidiotus ? sabalis Comstock 1883: 67. Type data: USA: Florida, Ft. George and Sanford, on leaves of palmetto [Sabal].. Syntypes, female, Type depository: Washington: United States National Entomological Collection, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, District of Columbia, USA; accepted valid name Illustr.
• Comstockiella sabalis (Comstock, 1883); Cockerell 1896b: 335. change of combination
• Comstockiella sabalis mexicana Cockerell 1897u: 267. Type data: MEXICO: probably from Maratlan, intercepted at USA, California, San Francisco, on palms.. Syntypes, female, Type depository: Washington: United States National Entomological Collection, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, District of Columbia, USA; junior synonym (discovered by Ferris1938a, 213).
• Comstockiella sabilis (Comstock, 1883); Cockerell 1899a: 396. misspelling of species epithet
• Comstockiella mexicana Cockerell, 1897; Lepesme 1947: 214. change in status (level)
• Comstockiella sabialis (Comstock, 1883); Schmutterer, Kloft & Lüdicke 1957: 474. misspelling of species epithet

Common Names

• palmetto scale Comsto1883 Dekle1965c McKenz1956 Merril1953 MerrilCh1923 MillerDa2005
• Escama de la palma WatsonKo2022a

Ecological Associates

Hosts:

Families: 5 | Genera: 19

Foes:

Families: 3 | Genera: 5

Associates:

Families: 1 | Genera: 1

Geographic Distribution

Keys

• MillerDa2005: pp.29-32 ( Adult (F) ) [Field Key to Economic Armored Scales]
• McKenz1956: pp.24 ( Adult (F) ) [U.S.A.: California]
• Comsto1883: pp.55-57 ( Adult (F) ) [North America]

Remarks

• Systematics: Comstockiella sabalis is unique in having the following combination of characters: (i) pygidium with lobes formed of crude expansions of the posterior abdomen; (ii) plates absent; (iii) perivulvar pores in 6 or more groups; (iv) ducts all 8-shaped in crosssection, not differentiated into macroducts and microducts; (v) antenna with more than 1 seta; and (vi) perispiracular pores each with 5 loculi. (Watson & Kondo, 2022a)
• Structure: Comstock (1883) described the scale "of the female is snowy white; irregular in outline, but approximately circular; exuviae vary in position from central to marginal, they are covered and their position is indicated by a tubercle which is of a deeper white than the remainder of the scale. The scale of the male resembles that of the female, except that it is smaller and more elongated". Ferris (1938a) described the scale "of the female white, oval, the exuviae subcentral, and concealed by wax; scale of the male similar in form and texture". Colour photograph by Gill (1997).
• Biology: The scale infests the leaves, frequently in great numbers (Ferris, 1938a). Comstockiella sabalis reproduces sexually. The scale has often been found in association with a fungus. (Watson & Kondo, 2022a)
• Economic Importance: The palmetto scale is a pest of palms and palmettos in southern and southwestern United States, the west coast of Mexico, the West Indies and Bermuda (Rosen & DeBach, 1978). The armored scale insect C. sabalis is specific to sabal palms, frequently abundant on the host, and commonly found with Brachypeplus glaber in the flower stalks. Being an armored scale, they secrete little or no honey-dew and produce very little wax. There is no evidence that B. glaber feeds on living scales, however, they do feed on shed skins. (Cline, et al., 2014)
• General Remarks: Description and illustration of adult female by Ferris (1938a), McKenzie (1956) and by Gill (1997). Intraspecific variation in number and grouping of perivulvar pores discussed and illustrated by Tippins & Beshear (1968).

Illustrations

Citations