Mulberry scale

Pseudaulacaspis pentagona

1. Identification

• Common name: White peach scale
• Scientific name: Pseudaulacaspis pentagona Targioni‑Tozzetti
• Order: Hemiptera
• Family: Diaspididae

2. Pest description

• Females covered by a white, rounded waxy scale, with a yellowish central exuvia.
• Males with an elongated scale and the presence of a winged form in the adult stage.
• Mobile nymphs (“crawlers”) yellow, responsible for the initial dispersal.

3. Main hosts

• Mulberry tree.
• Secondary hosts: peach tree, plum tree, citrus, fig tree and various ornamentals.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Dense white scales on branches, trunks and, at times, fruits.
• Progressive weakening of the plant due to the sucking of sap.
• Drying of branches, reduction of growth and decrease in production.
• In severe attacks, death of branches and general decline of the plant.

5. Biological cycle

• Winter spent mainly as an adult female or nymph on protected branches.
• Several generations per year, favoured by hot weather.
• Mobile nymphs appear in spring and summer, promoting dispersal.
• Rapid fixation of the nymphs and formation of the waxy scale.

6. Monitoring

• Visual inspection of branches and trunks to detect white scales.
• Observation of dry or weakened branches as an indirect indicator.
• Reinforced monitoring in orchards with a history of the pest.

7. Management measures

• Pruning and removal of heavily infested branches.
• Washing of trunks and branches to reduce surface populations.
• Conservation of natural enemies (parasitoids and predators).
• Intervention targeted at the moment of emergence of the mobile nymphs.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Pseudaulacaspis pentagona.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Pseudaulacaspis pentagona.
• Pellizzari, G. & Germain, J.‑F. (2010). Diaspididae of economic importance.
• Branco, M. et al. (2010). Pragas de fruteiras e ornamentais.