<i>Saissetia coffeae</i> (Walker, 1852) (Hemiptera: Coccidae): An emerging pest on various crops and ornamental plants in Morocco

Abstract

Abstract A study of soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae) was conducted on a wide range of plants between May 2021 and September 2024 along the north‐west coast of Morocco, covering 110 sites across 10 provinces. This led to morphological and molecular identification of hemispherical scale, Saissetia coffeae (Walker), from Moroccan specimens. Although this species had previously been reported from Morocco, based on morphological characters, the present study documents the occurrence of this species on various host plants in Morocco for the first time, including citrus ( Citrus spp.), avocado ( Persea americana Mill.), edible fig ( Ficus carica L.), strangler fig ( Ficus retusa L.) and sago palm ( Cycas revoluta Thunb.), at eight locations across the country. The research also highlights the crucial role of natural enemies in the natural regulation of S. coffeae populations. Three species of endoparasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera) were identified: Metaphycus flavus and Coccophagus sp. (Encyrtidae) and Scutellista caerulea (Pteromalidae). In addition, seven species of predators were found: Chilocorus renipustulatus (L.), Scymnus syriacus (Marseul), Stethorus pusillus (Herbst) and Exochomus flavipes (Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Orius laevigatus (Fieber) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and Eublemma scitula (Rambur) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).