Marchalina hellenica
Marchalina hellenica is a scale insect that lives in the eastern Mediterranean region, mainly in Greece and Turkey. It is an invasive species in Melbourne, Australia.[1] It lives by sucking the sap of pine trees, mainly the Turkish Pine (Pinus brutia) and, to smaller extent, Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis), Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Stone Pine (Pinus pinea). It can be found in the cracks and under the scales of the bark of these trees, hidden under the white cotton-like wax it secretes. Its main form of reproduction is parthenogenesis.
| Marchalina hellenica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pine branch with Marchalina hellenica secretions (honeydew) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Sternorrhyncha |
| Family: | Margarodidae |
| Genus: | Marchalina |
| Species: | M. hellenica |
| Binomial name | |
| Marchalina hellenica (Gennadius, 1883) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The honeydew it produces is an important source of food for forest honey bees, which produce pine honey. In Greece and Turkey, about 60% of the honey production is derived from it.[2]
It is the sole member of the genus Marchalina, though some authors argue that M. caucasica which is currently considered a synonym of M. hellenica may be a distinct species.[3]
References
- "Giant pine scale". Agriculture Victoria. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- Gounari, Sofia (2006). "Studies on the phenology of Marchalina hellenica (Gen.) (Hemiptera: Coccoidea, Margarodidae) in relation to honeydew flow". Journal of Apicultural Research. Cardiff: International Bee Research Association. 45 (1): 8–12. doi:10.3896/IBRA.1.45.1.03. ISSN 0021-8839. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
- Hodgson, Chris; Gounari, Sofia (2006). "Morphology of Marchalina hellenica (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Marchalinidae) from Greece, with a discussion on the identity of M. caucasica Hadzibeyli from the Caucasus". Zootaxa. 1196: 1–32. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1263.1.1.
External links
- Erlinghagen, F. (2001). Portrait of an insect: Marchalina hellenica Genn. (Sternorrhyncha: Coccina: Margarodidae), important producer of honeydew in Greece. Apiacta 36: 131–137.
- Margaritopoulos, J.T., Bacandritsos, N. & Pekas, A. N. (2003). Genetic variation of Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) sampled from different hosts and localities in Greece. Bulletin of Entomological Research 93 (5 October): 447–453.