Stictococcidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Paraneoptera
Superordo: Condylognatha
Ordo: Hemiptera
Subordo: Sternorrhyncha
Superfamilia: Coccoidea

Familia: Stictococcidae
Genera: Hockiana – Parastictococcus – Stictococcus
References

Miller, D. & Y. Ben-Dov. 2005. ScaleNet[1]

Stictococcidae is a family of scale insects commonly known as stictococcids. There are three genera containing about seventeen species and members of this family are found only in Afrotropical regions.[2]

Hosts

Members of this family have been recorded on thirty-eight different plant families, including various agricultural crops, but are most common on plants in the families, Annonaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae and Sterculiaceae.[2]
Description

Adult female stictococcids are similar in appearance to soft scales in the family Coccidae. They are nearly circular, flattened dorsally and have turned up margins. The segments are conspicuous, particularly near the rim. There are small, pale coloured legs and antennae on the underside. The body is covered in setae which are longer at the periphery.[2]
Life cycle

Stictococcids have three female instars and five male instars. The first instars are sexually dimorphic, with the females having the anus in the center of the body and having well-developed mouthparts, whereas the males have the anus near the posterior end of the body and have no mouthparts.[3] Most species are associated with ants who feed on the honeydew they produce.[2]
Genera

Hockiana
Parastictococcus
Stictococcus

References

Balachowsky, A.S. 1942. Essai sur la classification des cochenilles (Homoptera - Coccoidea). Annales de l'École Nationale d'Agriculture de Grignon 3: 34-48.
UDSA Agricultural Research Service Archived 2010-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
Richard, C. 1971. Contribution à l'étude morphologique et biologique des Stictococcinae (Hom. Coccoidea). (In French). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 7: 571-609