Preliminary Report on the Occurrence of Papaya Mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink, in Taiwan

Abstract

The papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink, is a serious pest of many agricultural plants and ornamentals. It has spread throughout most countries of the Caribbean region, causing huge economic losses to papayas since 1994. This pest alert reports P. marginatus damaging papayas in Taiwan for the first time. Besides it also describes the fundamental biological data of P. marginatus, its existing host plants, and its distribution in Taiwan and around the world. 木瓜秀粉介殼蟲 (Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink) 是農作物及觀賞作物的重要害蟲。自 1994 年以來，此害蟲在加勒比海區附近國家成為重要入侵害蟲，迄今造成許多國家木瓜及其他農作物的重大經濟損失。本文首次報導木瓜秀粉介殼蟲在台灣危害木瓜之情形及整理此害蟲之分佈、寄主植物及其基本生物學等相關資料。