Descriptions and Illustrations of the First Instar Nymphs of the Cardiococcinae (Hemiptera: Coccidae)

Taxonomic information on the Cardiococcinae is limited to morphological characters of the adult female. Morphological information on the immature stages has not been accomplished in the past. This work adds to the current knowledge of coccid immatures by providing descriptions and illustrations for the first-instar nymphs of Ceroplastodes dugesii (Signoret), Inglisia patella Maskell and Pseudokermes nitens Cockerell. Examination of the first instars indicated that morphological similarities exist between C. dugesii and P. nitens. However, I. patella differed morphologically from both of those species by lacking a rugose or papillated derm and by having greater than 34 marginal setae.