First record of the cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis (Hemiptera : Coccoidea : Pseudococcidae)‎ as a novel pest on new host plants in Alexandria, Egypt

الملخص EN

Recently, the cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsi Tinsely (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae) is a major pest infested different economic crops in Egypt.

This insect sucks plant sap, injects toxins and secretes “honeydew” stimulating the development of black sooty moulds which adversely affect photosynthesis.

Following the monitoring of new host plants, the present study recorded the cotton mealybug P.

solenopsis on bottle gourd Lagenaria siceraria L., Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberous L.

and cowpea Vigna unguiculata (L.) at two locations in Alexandria.

In addition, during the survey conducting through 2019-2020, the mealybug was recorded on two new ornamental plants and one fruit crop, with a total of seven new host plants.

All belong to six families, Acanthaceae, Astraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, and Rutaceae.