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Animalia >Arthropoda >Insecta >Hemiptera >Unidentified >Ceroplastes >

Many lay persons must have noticed wax scales as they parasitize many garden trees and shrubs as well as fruits trees; however, not many people probably can guess what kind of insects live in those white or purple cups of wax. Wax scales insert their long proboscis into plant tissues (sieve tubes) and steal nutrients, such as glucose and amino acids, from the plant. After assimilating nutrients, they regularly excrete water and unnecessary components from the cloaca. The excreted material or excretion is called honeydew. Ants and aphids are well known to have symbiotic relationship mediated by excreted materials. Some scale insects (Coccoidea), including wax scales, have similar symbiotic relationship with ants. Honeydew is secreted at regular intervals. Hence, in sessile insects like wax scales honeydew secretion is used to determine whether an insect is alive or dead. Honeydew is also secreted when ants tap around the cloaca of wax scales. As honeydew secretion occurs so quickly, one often misses what is going on without close attention. A triangular plate covering the cloacal opening opens and six tentacles similar to those of sea anemones are extended outward. The tentacles open up like an umbrella and a spherical mass of honeydew is secreted from an opening located at the center of the tentacles. Ants quickly grab honeydew with their mandibles. When ants are not around, the tentacles snap shut, forcing the honeydew to fall. (translated by Asoh)

(Data No.momo040112cc01b)

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