Bioecology and prevalence of giant scale insect, Perissopneumon ferox Newstead (Homoptera: Monophlebidae) in Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh

Bioecology and prevalence of giant scale insect, Perissopneumon ferox Newstead (Homoptera: Monophlebidae) in Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Bioecology and prevalence of giant scale insect, Perissopneumon ferox Newstead (Homoptera: Monophlebidae) in Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh Ibna Zayed Chowdhury, G. M. Saifur Rahman This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6593644/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The giant scale insect, Perissopneumon ferox Newstead is a major destructive, polyphagous, monophlebid pest that causes significant plant yield loss, typically found on woody plants, and is challenging to control. As a newly documented pest in Bangladesh, the present study deals with its biology, incidence, and ecological impacts both in the laboratory and in the field of Jahangirnagar University campus (JUC), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Study of biology is conducted at room temperature, and a two-year field sampling is carried out on eight marked host plant species by visual counting in regular fortnightly surveys. A total number of 8028 insects in 2004–2005 on 5 host plant species and 1914 individuals in 2023–2024 on an equal number of host plant species, including three new plants are recorded. The host Albizia procera is the highest-infested tree. The pest insect peaks in June and gradually decreases to the end of the rainy season. No male is observed, and the female reproduces by thelytokous parthenogenesis, with laying eggs from mid-November to mid-December. Then the eggs hatch under the soil after more than two months of diapause in winter. In the laboratory study, its lifespan is recorded from 227–263 days including the nymphal period of 158.20 ± 2.54 days. Its fecundity is 231 ± 7.09. There are 13 types of ants found to be associated with this scale colony. The host plants and insect individuals declined in the latest study up to 19.5% and 76.16%, respectively, due to gradual deforestation. The current research will help understand the biology and ecological fitness of this insect, which is essential to figuring out its field management system. Scale insect Perissopneumon ferox Biology Ecological fitness JU Bangladesh Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Introduction Insects, indispensable to ecosystems, play varied roles that derive environmental balance and linked to our lives. In addition, these most successful living organisms harmful in various ways, such as nuisance, spreading diseases, being herbivores, etc. (Sharma et al., 2021). The genus Perissopneumon Newstead (Homoptera: Monophlebidae: Monophlebinae: Monophlebini) is a poorly studied group. Among six species of this genus, P. ferox is known as the Late Mango Mealybug (Das & Das, 2022 ). This species is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent (Varshney, 1992 ) and Australia (Ben-Dov et al., 2006 ). Their secretions are used to make useful products including lacquer, red dye, and waxes. The giant scale's sugary waste product or honeydew is a vital food source for other insects, such as bees and wasps (Kondo & Gullan, 2022 ). They also spread plant pathogens, which results in indirect damage by lowering production and market value. This insect feeds on a variety of host plants and causes severe damage to yield production. Thus, causes significant economic losses to numerous host woody plant species under 16 families (Garcia-Morales et al., 2016; Jose, 2017 ; Pathan et al., 2018 ; Das & Das, 2022 ). Therefore, it is considered an important pest insect. This insect pest is found on all plant strata, mainly the stem. They insert their stylets into the plant tissues and suck off the phloem sap that causes substantial leaf, flower, and fruit loss as well as lower fruit weight. Their severe infestation can also kill off plants (Pathan et al., 2018 ). The mealy, waxy coating on the dorsal side of the scales helps to spread out the individuals within the colony and shield them from ambient pollutants, insecticides, natural adversaries, defensive exudates, and other factors that can cause death (Kenneth & Jayashankar, 2020 ). To manage this pest insect with an appropriate ecosystem-based IPM strategy, its prevalence, precise peak activity and free times, distribution, vulnerable life stages, fecundity, and relationship with plants and environmental factors are must know (Jayakumar & Rajavel, 2019 ). Among so many factors to explore, the first is biology, which has been poorly studied earlier (Gavrilov-Zimin, 2021 ) throughout the world including Bangladesh, where its population density is higher than other scale species (Reza & Hasan, 2020 ). Jahangirnagar University Campus (JUC), is an unofficial sanctuary known as a "heaven for biodiversity" (Khan et al., 2021 ), which is deemed an ideal location for this study. Therefore, the biology of this pest species, both in lab and field conditions, its abundance, seasonal incidence on different host plants, impact of environmental factors, and effect of weather have been observed. Methods P. ferox prevalence on host plants Site description The experimental work was conducted at JUC in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is located in the center of Bangladesh, at 23.8824ºN and 90.2671ºE, 32km to the northwest of Dhaka, the country's capital. It occupies 697.56 acres of land and is situated on the west side of the Dhaka-Aricha Highway (Fig. 1 ). This region has a somewhat undulating terrain with red lateritic acidic soil, rising to a height of roughly 6 meters above mean sea level (Khan et al., 2021 ). Population studies, sampling, and examination For 12 months between September 2004 and August 2005 and a further period from March 2023 to February 2024, the JUC was observed fortnightly (Chowdhury et al., 2022 ). A plant taxonomist from the same university's Botany Department assisted in the identification and labeling of five major host plant species in 2004 and five plant species in 2023 at the beginning of the study. The plant species used in the experiment; shrub ( Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr., Trans Linn.) and trees ( Albizia procera (Roxb.) Benth., Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth., Albizia saman (Jacq.) Merr., Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., Bombax ceiba L., Acacia auriculiformes A. Cunn.ex Benth., Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.). Using a 4–10x magnification lens, the insect-infested plants were examined visually up to two meters from the ground and recorded the data (Prasanna & Balikai, 2015 ; Akter et al. 2017 ). Leaves, barks, and cracks of branches, rootstock, and stems of all the plants were searched for the presence of nymphs and adults of the test insects. In the field, some of them were preserved in plastic containers containing 70% alcohol with the right tags holding plant species, dates, and other necessary details. Then, they were brought to the Department of Zoology's IRES (Insect Rearing and Experimental Station) of JU. The samples were counted and then sent to the Pampel's fluid for additional research. The scale insects were identified by using standard keys (Rao, 1950 ; Ullah, 1987 ; Tang & Hao, 1995 ; Pathan et al., 2018 ; Das & Das, 2022 ) up to the species level. Documentation of meteorological aspects The Climate of Bangladesh is distinguished by hot, humid summers (March to May), a wet monsoon (June to October), and a dry, chilly winter (November to February). Monthly average relative humidity (RH%), average maximum temperature (T max ), average minimum temperature (T min ), average temperature (T avg ) in °C, and monthly average rainfall (RF) in mm were collected for the JU area throughout the study period from the Geography and Environment Department weather station of JU, which is located behind the JUC Central Cafeteria. Analytical statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics 28.0.0.0, the data were classified in an Excel spreadsheet and subjected to a one-way ANOVA analysis. The least significant differences in pest occurrence on different plants and in different months, as well as the combined influence of climatic conditions on the P. ferox bug, were determined using LSD tests at 0.05 probabilities. Then, when there was a significant difference between the means, Duncan's test was run at 5% to isolate the means. Using the statistical program JASP 0.16, simple correlation (r) values were tallied to learn more about the relationship between giant scale incidence and the mean records of the three examined meteorological conditions. Life cycle parameters of P. ferox Collection, mass culture, and study of biology A mass-rearing P. ferox began from the collection of twenty live adult female P. ferox from A. procera tree in JU kept on wet filter paper (1 female/petri dish) in a glass petri dish (11x1 cm) to lay eggs in the entomology net house of IRES, Department of Zoology of JU. After hatching the eggs, nymphs were transferred to 30-day-old food plants (A . procera ) grown on earthen pots placed on a tray containing fresh water in nylon netted wood-framed cages (90x45x90cm). Pre-oviposition, oviposition, and incubation period, fecundity, and hatchability were determined from adult females and eggs laid on Petri dishes, while the nymphal period and mortality, adult emergence, and adult longevity was examined on potted plants by placing one newly emerged nymph on each food plant per cage. After anaesthetizing in 70 percent alcohol, the length and breadth measurements of freshly emerging nymphs and eggs were computed with the help of a Leica microscope. There were 5 replications in each experiment. In each replication, one insect was experimented. Room temperature and relative humidity were recorded daily throughout the experimental period, and the average temperature and relative humidity calculated were 29.3°±1°C and 78.4%, respectively. Necessary precautions were taken to keep the insects free from parasites and pathogens. The experiments were carried out according to the protocol of Chowdhury et al. ( 2008 ). Seasonal population dynamics and field observation on habits and biological aspects including variations in the duration of developmental stages of test insects were also made on ten randomly selected infested plants of A. procera and A. lebbeck on both aerial parts and roots by regular inspection during the study period (Mahore & Pandey, 2023 ). The presence of natural enemies and other organisms near the P. ferox life stages and colony was also reported. Analytical statistics The collected data of various developmental stages were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a 95% significance level. Biological parameters of P. ferox were expressed as range, Mean ± SE, and Coefficient of Variation (CV). Statistical analysis was done by R programming where necessary. Results Biology of giant scale, P. ferox The biology of female P. ferox was studied and observed higher reproductive rate (Plate 1-3; Table 1, 2). The findings are presented below. Taxonomic characteristics in laboratory study Eggs: The average longevity of Pre-oviposition and oviposition period was 125.7±1.9 days and 7.67±1.05 days, respectively. Eggs were laid in cottony ovisacs, and not all eggs were laid at a time. A single female laid 231±7.09 eggs during the lifetime of the study period. The newly laid eggs were observed as oval, minute, light white that changed into light yellow when matured with an average length and width of 0.4mm and 0.2mm, respectively. Color became black when it was damaged. The females were found to die soon after laying all their eggs. The average incubation period was observed as 78.4±1.33 days. The average per cent of eggs hatched 69±12.5 (Plate 2f, g; Table 1). Nymphal stages : After hatching the eggs, nymphs emerged and spread their appendages, then remained near the eggshell with the ventral side upper. Finally, they started to move about on the Petri dishes. Nymphs began to suck the sap of host tissue within 2 to 3 hours after hatching. Laboratory observations confirmed that there were 3 nymphal instars. The total nymphal period was about 158.20±2.54 days. The 2 nd and 3 rd instars completed their development in a relatively short period (Plate 2h-j; Table 1). The first instar nymph was light brown, more or less elliptical, measured 4mm in length and 3mm in width (before molting), 10-segmented body, 6-segmented antennae with numerous setae. Eye, stylet, and legs were prominent. The first instar nymphal period lasted 87.60±1.44 days, which is significantly longer (F=589.9, df=2, P<0.001) than other nymphal stages, inversely significantly shorter (F=177.3, df=1, P<0.001) than adults’ lifespan of 131.60±2.98 days (Plate 2h; Table 1). The 2 nd instar nymph was 6mm in length and 4mm in width. Its body color is light brown to brown, and white waxy powder deposits on the body surface within 2-3 days of molting. Antennae are eight-segmented and narrower than the 1 st instar. The antennae, legs, and labium were larger than the 1 st instar. Setae were present in all segments of the leg, but the 2 nd segment contained the largest setae. Labium and body were divided into 3 and 11 segments, respectively. The 2 nd instar lasted for 30.80±0.86 days on average. This period also individually differed significantly (F=30.22, df=2, P<0.001) from the developmental period of the rest of the instars including adults (F=1058, df=2, P<0.001) (Plate 2i; Table 1). The early 3 rd instar nymph was 8mm in length and 5mm in width. Their shape was almost adult-like and brown with 12-segmented bodies and 3-segmented labia. Antennae 9-segmented, 1 st segment was the broadest, the 9 th was the longest with long setae at the tip, and the 8 th antennal segment was the smallest. The antennae, legs, and labium were longer than the 2 nd instar. The largest seta is present in the 2 nd segment of the leg. The third instar period persisted at 39.80±1.39 days and exhibited a significant (F=780.3, df=2, P<0.001) difference with adult longevity. After the third instar, the nymphs of scale could not molt in the laboratory (Plate 2j; Table 1). The average rate of nymphal survivability (%) was 73.68±2.33, and the mortality (%) was 26.32±2.33. There is a very significant difference (F=205.9, df=1, p=<0.001) between the percentage of nymphal survivability and mortality (Table 1). Adults: The average longevity of adult females was 131.60±2.98 days, which is significantly highest (F=640.1, df=3, p=<0.001) among different life stages of P. ferox . In the present study, only one generation was observed in its lifespan or in a single year (Table 1). The adult female was bilaterally symmetrical, red-brown in color, 13-segmented body, wingless, well-developed black legs, and two 10-segmented antennae. The body is cottony, oval, soft and covered with slight white wax. Adult female had ventral derm with multilocular pores. Each loculi contains 4-8 rim. The length and width of newly emerged females varied from 12-15 mm and 7.5-9 mm, respectively (Plate 1a-d, 2c-d; Table 1). Field study Biology of P. ferox : In the field, the biology of P. ferox was observed on A. procera and A. lebbeck plants. They were found to reside in the protected areas as cracks and crevices in bark (Plate 2e) and on roots. Usually, they do not form any colony but singly move slightly to find a good hiding location on the host and firmly establish themselves until dropping into the earth (Plate 2n). The female forms a cottony ovisac or egg-laying chamber around her body and remains motionless (Plate 2b). The ovisac was found during mid-November - mid-December, and the egg hatched from mid-February to the end of March, after more than two months of diapause. Almost all eggs of a female hatched within 15 days (Table 2). The first instar nymphs crawled up the tree by the end of February – mid-April when temperatures rise and eventually settle on the bark and crevices of host plants. The 2 nd and 3 rd instars were found from middle May - middle June and middle June - middle July respectively. Adult females were found by the end of July, and almost all species fell into the soil before the beginning of November (Table 2). P. ferox prefers to live near the base of the host plant, and many insects also live at or underneath the junction of the plant root and soil from March to September. Crawlers and adults travel for suitable shelter until to develop the soft ovisac. Association of different organisms in the field : There was a mutualism relationship was observed in the P. ferox colony, where thirteen different types of ant species namely, Camponotus pennsylvanicus , Camponotus consobrinus , Camponotus floridanus , Camponotus vicinus , Solenopsis invicta , Formica rufa , Dorylus gribodoi , Monomorium minimum , Iridomyrmex purpureus , Lasius alienus , Nylanderia fulva , Lepisiota canescens , Crematogaster cerasi were found to eat the body wax and honeydew of P. ferox besides they protect its colony from predation (Plate 2k-m, 3a-b). On the other hand, different kinds of predators were observed close to the eggs and first instar of P. ferox ; i.e ., Trigoniulus corallinus (millipede), Scolopendra sp. (centipede), several beetle species including Rodolia fumida , Harpalus pensylvanicus , Pterostichus melanarius , Cryptolaemus montrouzieri , Coccinella septempunctata , Melanotus sp., Apogonia sp., Leptus sp. (mites), Periplaneta americana (cockroach), Hemidactylus sp. (small house lizard) (Plate 3c-g, r). Besides predators such as two tailed spiders, small house lizards ( Hemidactylus sp.), oriental garden lizards ( Calotes versicolor ), birds; parasites including wasps ( Specius sp.) and other organisms like bees, dragonflies, butterflies, moth ( Siccia guttulosana ), stink bug ( Tessaratoma papillosa , Halyomorpha halys , Urolabida histrionica , Pentatomidae, Brochymena sp.), squirrels were also discovered in the trunk near to further life stages of this insect (Plate 3h-r). Prevalence of P. ferox Invasion during 2004-05: A total of 8028 P. ferox individuals were recorded from 102 plants out of a total of 323 plants in JUC under 5 different species in a year (Fig. 2). The tree, A. procera attracts the highest (F=3.738, df=4, P=0.009) P. ferox insect. The insect was absent from November to January, and a significantly higher number (F=3.574, df=11, P=0.001) of them was found from March to June. The average monthly population of this pest was very low to moderate (0-427) on different plant species. The mean number varied from 47-336 insect/plant species/month (Fig. 3). Invasion during 2023-24: A total of 1914 P. ferox individual was recorded from 41 plants out of 166 under 5 species from the same study area in 2023-24 (Fig. 2). The same tree, A. procera was the most preferred plant for this insect (F=2.757, df=4, P=0.0367). The insect was absent from November to February, but the highest (F=1, df=4, P=0.454) was in June. In this latest study, among the plant species, each hosted a comparatively fewer number of (2-55) insects/month, where the average monthly insect population ranged from 0-97/plant species (Fig. 4). The insect population (F=4.443, df=1, P=0.0467, 76.16%) and host plants (F=0.142, df=1, P=0.712, 19.5%) substantially decreased from 2004 to 2023, though three species of host plant were added newly (Fig. 2- 4). Impact of weather on P. ferox The weather had a significant impact (2004-05: F=6.347, df=3, P=0.016; 2023-24: F=5.378, df=3, P=0.025) on P. ferox population abundance in both study years. Temperature (r = 0.65) played the most important role followed by humidity (r = -0.49) and rainfall (r = 0.04) in 2004-05 and in 2023-24 rainfall (r = 0.77) was the most significant factor, followed by temperature (r = 0.64) and humidity (r =0.59). Discussion Biology of P. ferox The giant scale insect, P. ferox is little-studied invasive insect pest that is easy to establish when brought to a new nation because of its cryptic and polyphagous habits, smaller size, and higher reproductivity (Table 1 ). Their propensity to spread through wind, rain, splashing water, arthropods, infected plants, bed soil and different animals is higher. Adult P. ferox is elliptical, 10–15 mm in length and up to 6mm in width as reported in previous studies (Rao, 1950 ; Pathan et al., 2018 ). Their flexible body structure and sensitivity to light, temperature, and rain have adapted them to reside in protected areas as cracks, crevices in barks and roots (Arora & Nath, 1960 ). Insects of this genus were observed to lay their eggs in soil within an ovisac and then die, as found in India (Srivastava & Verghese, 1985 ), similar to Perissopneumon tectonae (Kumar et al., 2017 ). The eggs were found to a depth of 5–20 cm in soil within a few feet in diameter around the base of the host plant, as well as a diapause of about two months in the winter season. A narrower range but equal depth (15–20 cm in silken purses) was reported for Drosicha mangiferae (Nair, 1975 ; Sathe et al., 2014 ). A similar diapause period was observed in the same species (Srivastava & Verghese, 1985 ) and D. mangiferae (Smith et al., 2016 ; Akter et al., 2017 ). After hatching, the crawlers climb on trees as observed by Bodenheimer ( 1951 ). The first instar nymphs crawled up the tree by the end of February to mid-April when the temperature rises, which is a normal trend of this group of insects, for example, the nymphs of p. ferox and P. tectonae hatched in summer (Arora & Nath 1960 ; Srivastava & Verghese 1985 ). Almost all crawlers hatched in the nearable period in a suitable environment (Sathe et al., 2014 ), and they did not have a waxy coat after hatching, which made them more susceptible to natural enemies and insecticides. This information can help to determine the best timing of control operations. Gradually waxy coating developed. Once crawlers settle to feed, they become immobile. However, the size of immature stages is almost equal to Perissopneumon tamarindus (Kumar et al., 2018 ). The longevity (131.60 ± 2.98) of adult P. ferox is considerably longer than other mango mealy bugs, namely D. mangiferae (39–69 days) (Bhau et al., 2017 ). Adult females were found by the end of July, and almost all species fell into the soil before the beginning of November (Arora & Nath, 1960 ; Kumar et al., 2018 ). This insect prefers to live near the base of the host plant like other scale insects and mealybugs. They also live at or underneath the junction of plant roots and soil from March to September (Mani et al., 2016 ). Generally, this species has one generation in a year and three nymphal instars (Srivastava & Verghese, 1985 ). The male is rare to be found in the field. So, females perform parthenogenesis reproduction (Maruthadurai & Karuppaiah, 2014 ) as seen in P. tectonae (Arora & Nath, 1960 ). In the present study, 13 types of ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were found with P. ferox that give them protection from predators (e.g. beetles, mites, spiders, birds, etc.), parasites (e.g. wasps), and other natural enemies. Ants, bees, etc. retain their colony pure from detritus, which allure sooty mold fungi (Plate 2o) (Jose, 2017 ; Kumar et al., 2018 ; Kenneth and Jayashankar 2020 ). The presence of ants, preferred hosts, and a lack of natural enemies might contribute to the higher population of P. ferox . Effects of ecology on P. ferox The present study observed the declining trend of the insect P. ferox due to the decline of old host plants by gradual deforestation, fire incidents, clearing forests, plant death, fuel wood collection, applying lime from the base of the plant upwards, lack of awareness, insufficient tree plantation, etc. Generally, the decline of the insect population is attributed to competition and remoteness of the host plant (John et al., 2022 ), which is analogous to the present situation as well as the scenario all over the country. The insects mostly resided beneath the loose bark and in the cracks and fissures of the stem but the newly identified host had fewer bark and cracks and carried a few number of insects. The test insect prefers to survive in the soil when the condition are unsuitable. The factors listed above as well as the shortage of new plantations could be contributing to the P. ferox population decline (Reza & Hasan, 2019; Hoque, 2023 ; Sathe & Rahman, 2023 ). To maintain ecological balance, the authority needs to take proper action for the restoration of conservation and practice eco-forestry, punishing rule breakers harshly, building social movement and raising awareness about deforestation, fight against corruption, and ensure transparency (Roy et al., 2014 ; Reza & Hasan, 2019; Hoque, 2023 ). The impact of weather on P. ferox Climate variables including rainfall, relative humidity, and temperature are interrelated. The population of P. ferox exhibited a substantial positive association with the T max , T min , and T avg . This insect is known as a tropical and subtropical pest throughout the globe including Bangladesh (Varshney, 1992 ; Ben-Dov et al., 2006 ; Mondol et al., 2019 ). The test insect, P. ferox was found to be more common during the pre-monsoon (F = 3, df = 2, P = 0.08), followed by monsoon, and post-monsoon periods, which was also observed in a previous study in Bangladesh for D. mangiferae (Akter et al., 2017 ) and for P. tamarindus (Uddin et al., 2012 ; Banik et al., 2015 ). Previous studies also found a significant positive link between weather factors to D. mangiferae in India (Chakraborty et al., 2015 ) and in Indonesia (Supriadi et al., 2015 ). In addition, a negative link between humidity and temperature, and no correlation of rainfall to P. tamatrindus population density (Banik et al., 2015 ), besides the detrimental impact of heavy rain and the beneficial link of light rainfall was observed (Karthik et al., 2021 ). Additionally, scale insects can overwinter as eggs, immature, or adults (Smith et al., 2016 ). They were absent in the winter months on a stem. Then, they may have hidden and taken refuge under the soil close to the roots for pupation and protected their generation from natural enemies, inter- or intraspecific competition, and unfavorable climate. It first appeared in March, then began to rise and peaked in June. Then began a dramatic decline in July through October. The current results are consistent with those of Pathan et al. ( 2018 ) in India, who stated that the highest population of P. ferox was observed during June on Emblica officinalis . They infest woody plants during periods of rapid growth, budding, flowering, and fruiting of plants in summer and monsoon (Ullah, 1987 ; Azam et al. 2009 ). Conclusions The biology of P. ferox was studied both in the laboratory and in the fields in JU. Its pre-oviposition, oviposition, and incubation period, fecundity, hatchability, duration of nymphal instars, nymphal survivability, mortality, and adult longevity were determined on A. procera plant under laboratory conditions. Habit and some aspects of biology and natural biota related to this species in the field were also noted. The present findings regarding the life cycle study indicate its higher fecundity and good adaptation. The population incidences of P. ferox on 8 plant species in different months of the recent year and twenty years back were also studied. Its field incidence declined in the recent study due to environmental degradation as well as varied in different seasons, and plant species. Generally, in a world of diverse herbivores, the sap sucker scale insects can be often neglected in many ecological studies, and they become pests when their population exceeds a certain threshold. Their miniature sizes can make us overlook their existence, yet their presence can be linked to many other organisms including smaller life forms like ants, and bees to larger forms like birds, which play a noteworthy role in an ecosystem. The number of host plants and insect biota especially herbivores reduced drastically mainly due to defective urbanization. Unfortunately, human interference through their activities has adversely affected biodiversity both for plants and animals. However, to control the population of scale, the present study recommends P. ferox can be checked by integration of banding of plant trunks with polythene sheet, grease or glue should be applied at the lower edge of band, put soil at the base of plants will prevent nymphs crawling up the plant, destruction of eggs by soil working, application of not attacked plant (e.g. Polyalthia longifolia , Swietenia mahagoni etc.) extracts such as plant sap, leaf or bark juice, flower, and seed or leave dust as their repellants, action of natural enemies and application of insecticides (Akter et al., 2017 ). Finally, this kind of study should be more and more, which may be beneficial to predict pest outbreak time and Integrated Pest Management practices to protect the relevant crops. Abbreviations JUC Jahangirnagar University Campus ANOVA Analysis of variance LSD Least significant difference SE Standard error CV Coefficient of variation Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable Consent for publication Not applicable Availability of data and materials All data and materials are contained within the manuscript. Competing interests The authors declare no competing of interests. Funding Not applicable Author contributions IZC and GMSR have made a major contribution to conceptualizing the idea, writing the manuscript. IZC made the practical part, analyzed the data, and drafted the MS. GMSR interpreted the data and edited the MS. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements The JU administration is appreciated for its support in research on campus. Furthermore, the authors would like to thank Dr. Abu Sayed Chowdhury, for his valuable technical assistance. References Akter, S., Mandal, B. K., Khatun, R., & Alim, M.A. (2017). Seasonal prevalence of giant mealy bug Drosicha mangiferae (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) in the college of home economics, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 5 (5), 192–199. https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/2017/vol5issue5/PartC/4-6-86-644.pdf Arora, G. L., & Nath, S. (1960). Biology and life-history of Perissopneumon tectonae (Morrison) (Coccoidea: Homoptera). Research Bulletin of the Panjab University. Science, 11 (1–2), 127–139. Azam, F. M. S., Rahmatullah, M., & Zaman, A. U. (2009). Tissue culture of a year-round fruiting variety of Artocarpus heterophyllus L. in Bangladesh. Acta Horticulturae, 806 (33), 269–276. Banik, B. R., Barma, N. C. D., Rahman, M. L., Ali, M. O., & Rahman, M. H. H. (2015). BARI annual report 2013-14. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur, Bangladesh, pp 1-424. Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D. R., & Gibson, G. A. P. (2006). ScaleNet: a database of the scale insects of the world. Available online at: http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/scalenet/scalenet.htm Bhau, B., Shankar, U., & Abrol, D. P. (2017). Studies on host range and biology of mango mealy bug ( Drosicha mangiferae ) in Jammu region. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 6 (9), 230–240. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.609.031 Bodenheimer, F. S. (1951). The Citrus Fluted Scale. In: Junk W (publisher) Citrus entomology in the Middle East with special reference to Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Turkey. The Hague, Netharlands, pp 472–511. Chakraborty, K., Sarkar, A., & Nandi, P. (2015). Incidence of mango mealy bug, Drosicha mangiferae (Coccidae: Hemiptera) in the agro-climatic conditions of the upper gangetic plain of West Bengal, India. International Journal of Science and Nature, 6 (4), 568–575. Chowdhury, I. Z., Rahman, G. M. S., & Baqui, M. A. (2022). Spatial distribution and seasonal incidence of coccid mealybugs (Coccoidea: Homoptera) in Jahangirnagar University Campus, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Zoology, 50 (1), 67–82. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjz.v50i1.60092 tudies on Host Range and Biology of Mango Mealy Bug (Drosicha mangiferae) in Jammu Region Chowdhury, S. P., Ahad, M. A., Amin, M. R., & Hasan, M. S. (2008). Biology of ladybird beetle Micraspis discolors (Fab.) (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera). International Journal of Sustainable Crop Production, 3 (3), 39–44. Das, A., & Das, B. K. (2022). Description of a new Archaeococcoid of the Genus Perissopneumon Newstead (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Monophlebidae) from India. Zoological studies, 61 , e54. 10.6620/ZS.2022.61-54 Garcia Morales, M., Denno, B. D., Miller, D. R., Miller, G. L., Ben-Dov, Y., Hardy, N. B. (2016). ScaleNet: A literature-based model of scale insect biology and systematics. Database doi: 10.1093/database/bav118 . http://scalenet.info . Accessed 29-09-2024. Gavrilov-Zimin, I. A. (2021). New and poorly known giant scale insects (Homoptera: Coccinea: Margarodidae s. lat.) from the Oriental region with taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on the subfamily Monophlebinae. European Journal of Taxonomy, 746 , 50–61. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.746.1317 Hoque, M. (2023). Unveiling the ripple effect: how human activities reshape ecosystems. Romanian Journal of Ecology & Environmental Chemistry, 5 (2), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.21698/rjeec.2023.202 Jayakumar, M., & Rajavel, M. (2019). Weather based pest forewarning models for mealybug infestation in Robusta coffee ( Coffea canephora ). Journal of Agrometeorology, 21 (4), 488–493. 10.54386/jam.v21i4.285 John, A. O., Sylvester, A. A., Kehinde, A. O., & Michael. A. A. (2022). Chapter 9. Land use impacts on diversity and abundance of insect species. In: Hufnagel, L., & El-Esawi, M. A. (eds). Vegetation dynamics, changing ecosystems and human responsibility. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106434 Jose, J. (2017). Host diversity of mealybugs in Thrissur district, Kerala State, India. International Journal of life-Sciences Scientific Research, 3 (3), 973–979. 10.21276/ijlssr.2017.3.3.2 Karthik, S., Reddy, M. S. S., & Yashaswini, G. (2021). Chapter 23. Climate change and its potential impacts on insect- plant interactions. In: Harris SA (eds) The nature, causes, effects and mitigation of climate change on the environment. IntechOpen , pp 393–415. 10.5772/intechopen.98203 Kenneth, A., & Jayashankar, M. (2020). Size matters: Xylem and Phloem feeders. Agriculture & Food: E-Newsletter, 2 (11), 776–779. Khan, S. A., Sultana, S., Hossain, G. M., Shetu, S. S., & Rahim, M. A. (2021). Floristic composition of Jahangirnagar University Campus – A semi-natural area of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy, 28 (1), 27–60. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v28i1.54207 Kondo, T. & Gullan, P. J. (2022). Chapter 1. Beneficial scale insects. In: Kondo T, Watson GW (eds) Encyclopedia of Scale Insect Pests. CABI, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, pp 1–7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362293604_Chapter_1_Beneficial_scale_insects Kumar, H., Ola, C. M., & Karel, A. (2018). Ecology and Management of Ber Mealy bug ( Perissopneumon tamarindus (Green). In: Staff, K. J. (eds). Agripedia-Krishi Jagran . https://krishijagran.com/agripedia/ecology-and-management-of-ber-mealy-bug-perissopneumon-tamarindus-green/ Kumar, S., Chavan, S., & Prajapati, V. M. (2017). New records of insect-pests and natural enemies on economically important forest trees in Dang district of Gujarat. Journal of Tree Sciences, 36 (1), 16–28. 10.5958/2455-7129.2017.00002.4 Mahore, P., & Pandey, A. K. (2023). Seasonal incidence of major insect pests of Mungbean. Indian Journal of Entomology, 85 (1), 219–221. https://doi.org/10.55446/IJE.2022.802 Mani, M., Smitha, M. S., & Najitha, U. (2016). Root mealybugs and their management in horticultural crops in India. Pest Management in Horticultural Ecosystems, 22 (2), 103–113. Maruthadurai, R., & Karuppaiah, V. (2014). Managing menace of insect pests on Custard Apple. Popular Kheti, 2 (3), 108–111. Mondol, M. A. H., Kazi, M. S. I., Rahman, M. F., & Rakib, M. R. (2019). Microclimatic study using temperature data of Jahangirnagar University of Bangladesh. Climate Change 5 (18), 108–115. Nair, M. R. G. K. (1975). Insects and mites of crops in India. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, pp 239–240. Pathan, N. P., Jaiman, R. S., Amin, A. U., & Prajapati, B. G. (2018). First report of scale, Perissopneumon ferox new stead (Monophlebidae: Hemiptera) on Aonla ( Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) from Gujarat, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 6 (4), 1287–1288. Prasanna, P. M., & Balikai, R. A. (2015). Seasonal incidence of grapevine mealy bug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) and its natural enemies. Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 28 (3), 347–350. Rao, P. V. (1950). The status of the genus Perissopneumon Newstead and description of the new genus Misracoccus (Hemiptera: Coccidae). Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London Series B, Toxonomy, 19 (7–8), 114–120 Reza, A. A., & Hasan, M. K. (2020). Chapter 2. Forest biodiversity and deforestation in Bangladesh: The latest update. In: Suratman, M. N., Latif, Z. A., Oliveira, G. D., Brunsell, N., Shimabukuro, Y., & Santos, C. A. C. D. (eds). Forest degradation around the world. IntechOpen . 10.5772/intechopen.86242 Roy, S., Islam, M. S., & Islam, M. M. (2014). Underlying causes of deforestation and its effects on the environment of Madhupur Sal forest, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Environmental Science, 27 , 162–169. Sathe, T. A. & Rahman, S. H. 2023. Land use land cover dynamics and its signature on land surface temperature in Savar, Bangladesh. Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, 8 , 21–32. https://juniv.edu/journal/11423/file Sathe, T. V., Shendge, N., Khairmode, P. V., Kambale, C., Patil, S. S., & Desai, A. S. (2014). Incidence and damage of mealybugs Drosicha mangifeae Green (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on mango Mabgifera indica L. from Kolhapur district, India. International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, 3 (3), 905–909. Sharma, B., Sushmita, Kumar, A. (2021). Chapter 7. Insects: Ecological role, importance, edible and harmful. In: Sahu, D. K., Yadav, V. K., Kumar, A., & Suroothiya, M. A. (eds) Scope and Challenges of Science, Enginnering and Technology. pp 85–97. Smith, H., Cowles, R., and Hiskes, R. (2016). Scale insect pests of Connecticut trees and ornamentals. Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, USA. Srivastava, R. P., & Verghese, A. (1985). Record of a new mealybug, Perissopneumon ferox Newstead (Mrgarodidae: Homoptera) on mango from Uttar Pradesh, India. Entomon, 10 (2), 184–185. Supriadi, K., Mudjiono, G., Abadi, A. L., & Karindah, S. (2015). The influence of environmental factors to the abudance of scales (Hemiptera: Diaspidae) population on Apple Crop. Journal of Tropical Life Science, 5 (1), 20–24. Tang, F. T., & Hao, J. J. (1995). The Margarodidae and others of China. Chinese Agricultural Science Technology Press, Beijing, P.R. China , p 738. Uddin, M. A., Waliullah, M. H., & Akhter, M. S. (2012). Seasonal abundance of Mealy Bug, Perissopneumon Tamarindus Green in Ber. Fruit Research Station, BARI, Binodpur, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. http://apps.barc.gov.bd/armis/home/research/detail/6426 Ullah, G. M. R. (1987). Faunistic and biological studies on the Coccoidea of Bangladesh. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Zoology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, pp 1-395. Varshney, R. K. (1992). A check- list of the scale insects and mealy bugs of South Asia. Part-1. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 139 , 1-152. https://www.neliti.com/publications/93334/the-influence-of-environmental-factors-to-the-abundance-of-scales-hemiptera-dias Tables Table 1 and 2 are available in the Supplementary Files section. Plate Plate 1 to 3 are available in the Supplementary Files section. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Plates.docx Tables.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Saifur","lastName":"Rahman","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-05 10:38:34","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6593644/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6593644/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82803025,"identity":"f4b00f8b-06d2-478c-b0bf-966b715bd60e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-15 11:46:55","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":336969,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eField of research of Jahangirnagar University Campus (JUC)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6593644/v1/860e780a04ecba72d44225fa.png"},{"id":82803023,"identity":"3c1a08c0-e3d1-4cbd-a7a7-dba825e4a23c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-15 11:46:55","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":34580,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparing the host and infected host plants in 2004 and 2023\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6593644/v1/d05fb15de02b71d55af02f40.png"},{"id":82802703,"identity":"7b1eac42-2835-489f-af44-93b35629ff76","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-15 11:38:55","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":33297,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMonthly pest incidence in JUC during 2004-05\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6593644/v1/22675390c66586691ae6a76c.png"},{"id":82803026,"identity":"a962be44-224c-4c2a-9359-ed7960db176f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-15 11:46:55","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":37973,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMonthly pest incidence in JUC during 2023-24\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6593644/v1/24f22f2d4359cbb42b114367.png"},{"id":83717218,"identity":"e93fc50d-208d-4b58-9c91-5f7bb5a089fe","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-31 23:01:19","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1210552,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6593644/v1/84356b4f-7553-445c-b15e-ccf543f2383d.pdf"},{"id":82802710,"identity":"6a6e2106-92fd-419e-93f2-48ff0f7b1044","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-15 11:38:55","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":4384383,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Plates.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6593644/v1/925e1ac6c983a19236ae4998.docx"},{"id":82803820,"identity":"b296fb67-6b3e-40e8-90a5-2b3ceca2515a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-15 11:54:55","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":19474,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Tables.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6593644/v1/b4edef56a0585d9393074416.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Bioecology and prevalence of giant scale insect, Perissopneumon ferox Newstead (Homoptera: Monophlebidae) in Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eInsects, indispensable to ecosystems, play varied roles that derive environmental balance and linked to our lives. In addition, these most successful living organisms harmful in various ways, such as nuisance, spreading diseases, being herbivores, etc. (Sharma et al., 2021). The genus \u003cem\u003ePerissopneumon\u003c/em\u003e Newstead (Homoptera: Monophlebidae: Monophlebinae: Monophlebini) is a poorly studied group. Among six species of this genus, \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e is known as the Late Mango Mealybug (Das \u0026amp; Das, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). This species is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent (Varshney, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1992\u003c/span\u003e) and Australia (Ben-Dov et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Their secretions are used to make useful products including lacquer, red dye, and waxes. The giant scale's sugary waste product or honeydew is a vital food source for other insects, such as bees and wasps (Kondo \u0026amp; Gullan, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). They also spread plant pathogens, which results in indirect damage by lowering production and market value.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis insect feeds on a variety of host plants and causes severe damage to yield production. Thus, causes significant economic losses to numerous host woody plant species under 16 families (Garcia-Morales et al., 2016; Jose, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Pathan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Das \u0026amp; Das, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, it is considered an important pest insect. This insect pest is found on all plant strata, mainly the stem. They insert their stylets into the plant tissues and suck off the phloem sap that causes substantial leaf, flower, and fruit loss as well as lower fruit weight. Their severe infestation can also kill off plants (Pathan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mealy, waxy coating on the dorsal side of the scales helps to spread out the individuals within the colony and shield them from ambient pollutants, insecticides, natural adversaries, defensive exudates, and other factors that can cause death (Kenneth \u0026amp; Jayashankar, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). To manage this pest insect with an appropriate ecosystem-based IPM strategy, its prevalence, precise peak activity and free times, distribution, vulnerable life stages, fecundity, and relationship with plants and environmental factors are must know (Jayakumar \u0026amp; Rajavel, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmong so many factors to explore, the first is biology, which has been poorly studied earlier (Gavrilov-Zimin, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) throughout the world including Bangladesh, where its population density is higher than other scale species (Reza \u0026amp; Hasan, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Jahangirnagar University Campus (JUC), is an unofficial sanctuary known as a \"heaven for biodiversity\" (Khan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), which is deemed an ideal location for this study. Therefore, the biology of this pest species, both in lab and field conditions, its abundance, seasonal incidence on different host plants, impact of environmental factors, and effect of weather have been observed.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eP. ferox\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eprevalence on host plants\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eSite description\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe experimental work was conducted at JUC in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is located in the center of Bangladesh, at 23.8824\u0026ordm;N and 90.2671\u0026ordm;E, 32km to the northwest of Dhaka, the country's capital. It occupies 697.56 acres of land and is situated on the west side of the Dhaka-Aricha Highway (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). This region has a somewhat undulating terrain with red lateritic acidic soil, rising to a height of roughly 6 meters above mean sea level (Khan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePopulation studies, sampling, and examination\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor 12 months between September 2004 and August 2005 and a further period from March 2023 to February 2024, the JUC was observed fortnightly (Chowdhury et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). A plant taxonomist from the same university's Botany Department assisted in the identification and labeling of five major host plant species in 2004 and five plant species in 2023 at the beginning of the study. The plant species used in the experiment; shrub (\u003cem\u003eAegle marmelos\u003c/em\u003e (L.) Corr., Trans Linn.) and trees (\u003cem\u003eAlbizia procera\u003c/em\u003e (Roxb.) Benth., \u003cem\u003eAlbizia lebbeck\u003c/em\u003e (L.) Benth., \u003cem\u003eAlbizia saman\u003c/em\u003e (Jacq.) Merr., \u003cem\u003eArtocarpus heterophyllus\u003c/em\u003e Lam., \u003cem\u003eBombax ceiba\u003c/em\u003e L., \u003cem\u003eAcacia auriculiformes\u003c/em\u003e A. Cunn.ex Benth., \u003cem\u003eLagerstroemia speciosa\u003c/em\u003e (L.).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUsing a 4\u0026ndash;10x magnification lens, the insect-infested plants were examined visually up to two meters from the ground and recorded the data (Prasanna \u0026amp; Balikai, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Akter et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Leaves, barks, and cracks of branches, rootstock, and stems of all the plants were searched for the presence of nymphs and adults of the test insects. In the field, some of them were preserved in plastic containers containing 70% alcohol with the right tags holding plant species, dates, and other necessary details. Then, they were brought to the Department of Zoology's IRES (Insect Rearing and Experimental Station) of JU. The samples were counted and then sent to the Pampel's fluid for additional research. The scale insects were identified by using standard keys (Rao, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1950\u003c/span\u003e; Ullah, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1987\u003c/span\u003e; Tang \u0026amp; Hao, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e; Pathan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Das \u0026amp; Das, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) up to the species level.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eDocumentation of meteorological aspects\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Climate of Bangladesh is distinguished by hot, humid summers (March to May), a wet monsoon (June to October), and a dry, chilly winter (November to February). Monthly average relative humidity (RH%), average maximum temperature (T\u003csub\u003emax\u003c/sub\u003e), average minimum temperature (T\u003csub\u003emin\u003c/sub\u003e), average temperature (T\u003csub\u003eavg\u003c/sub\u003e) in \u0026deg;C, and monthly average rainfall (RF) in mm were collected for the JU area throughout the study period from the Geography and Environment Department weather station of JU, which is located behind the JUC Central Cafeteria.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eAnalytical statistics\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eUsing IBM SPSS Statistics 28.0.0.0, the data were classified in an Excel spreadsheet and subjected to a one-way ANOVA analysis. The least significant differences in pest occurrence on different plants and in different months, as well as the combined influence of climatic conditions on the \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e bug, were determined using LSD tests at 0.05 probabilities. Then, when there was a significant difference between the means, Duncan's test was run at 5% to isolate the means. Using the statistical program JASP 0.16, simple correlation (r) values were tallied to learn more about the relationship between giant scale incidence and the mean records of the three examined meteorological conditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eLife cycle parameters of\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eP. ferox\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCollection, mass culture, and study of biology\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eA mass-rearing \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e began from the collection of twenty live adult female \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e from \u003cem\u003eA. procera\u003c/em\u003e tree in JU kept on wet filter paper (1 female/petri dish) in a glass petri dish (11x1 cm) to lay eggs in the entomology net house of IRES, Department of Zoology of JU. After hatching the eggs, nymphs were transferred to 30-day-old food plants \u003cem\u003e(A\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eprocera\u003c/em\u003e) grown on earthen pots placed on a tray containing fresh water in nylon netted wood-framed cages (90x45x90cm). Pre-oviposition, oviposition, and incubation period, fecundity, and hatchability were determined from adult females and eggs laid on Petri dishes, while the nymphal period and mortality, adult emergence, and adult longevity was examined on potted plants by placing one newly emerged nymph on each food plant per cage. After anaesthetizing in 70 percent alcohol, the length and breadth measurements of freshly emerging nymphs and eggs were computed with the help of a Leica microscope. There were 5 replications in each experiment. In each replication, one insect was experimented. Room temperature and relative humidity were recorded daily throughout the experimental period, and the average temperature and relative humidity calculated were 29.3\u0026deg;\u0026plusmn;1\u0026deg;C and 78.4%, respectively. Necessary precautions were taken to keep the insects free from parasites and pathogens. The experiments were carried out according to the protocol of Chowdhury et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeasonal population dynamics and field observation on habits and biological aspects including variations in the duration of developmental stages of test insects were also made on ten randomly selected infested plants of \u003cem\u003eA. procera\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eA. lebbeck\u003c/em\u003e on both aerial parts and roots by regular inspection during the study period (Mahore \u0026amp; Pandey, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The presence of natural enemies and other organisms near the \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e life stages and colony was also reported.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eAnalytical statistics\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe collected data of various developmental stages were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a 95% significance level. Biological parameters of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e were expressed as range, Mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SE, and Coefficient of Variation (CV). Statistical analysis was done by R programming where necessary.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBiology of giant scale, \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe biology of female \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e was studied and observed higher reproductive rate (Plate 1-3; Table 1, 2). The findings are presented below. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTaxonomic characteristics in laboratory study\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEggs:\u003c/strong\u003e The average longevity of Pre-oviposition and oviposition period was 125.7\u0026plusmn;1.9 days and 7.67\u0026plusmn;1.05 days, respectively. Eggs were laid in cottony ovisacs, and not all eggs were laid at a time. A single female laid 231\u0026plusmn;7.09 eggs during the lifetime of the study period. The newly laid eggs were observed as oval, minute, light white that changed into light yellow when matured with an average length and width of 0.4mm and 0.2mm, respectively. Color became black when it was damaged. The females were found to die soon after laying all their eggs. The average incubation period was observed as 78.4\u0026plusmn;1.33 days. The average per cent of eggs hatched 69\u0026plusmn;12.5 (Plate 2f, g; Table 1).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNymphal stages\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e After hatching the eggs, nymphs emerged and spread their appendages, then remained near the eggshell with the ventral side upper. Finally, they started to move about on the Petri dishes. Nymphs began to suck the sap of host tissue within 2 to 3 hours after hatching. Laboratory observations confirmed that there were 3 nymphal instars. The total nymphal period was about 158.20\u0026plusmn;2.54 days. The 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e and 3\u003csup\u003erd\u003c/sup\u003e instars completed their development in a relatively short period (Plate 2h-j; Table 1).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe first instar nymph was light brown, more or less elliptical, measured 4mm in length and 3mm in width (before molting), 10-segmented body, 6-segmented antennae with numerous setae. Eye, stylet, and legs were prominent. The first instar nymphal period lasted 87.60\u0026plusmn;1.44 days, which is significantly longer (F=589.9, df=2, P\u0026lt;0.001) than other nymphal stages, inversely significantly shorter (F=177.3, df=1, P\u0026lt;0.001) than adults\u0026rsquo; lifespan of 131.60\u0026plusmn;2.98 days (Plate 2h; Table 1).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e instar nymph was 6mm in length and 4mm in width. Its body color is light brown to brown, and white waxy powder deposits on the body surface within 2-3 days of molting. Antennae are eight-segmented and narrower than the 1\u003csup\u003est\u003c/sup\u003e instar. The antennae, legs, and labium were larger than the 1\u003csup\u003est\u003c/sup\u003e instar. Setae were present in all segments of the leg, but the 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e segment contained the largest setae. Labium and body were divided into 3 and 11 segments, respectively. The 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e instar lasted for 30.80\u0026plusmn;0.86 days on average. This period also individually differed significantly (F=30.22, df=2, P\u0026lt;0.001) from the developmental period of the rest of the instars including adults (F=1058, df=2, P\u0026lt;0.001) (Plate 2i; Table 1).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe early 3\u003csup\u003erd\u003c/sup\u003e instar\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003enymph was 8mm in length and 5mm in width. Their shape was almost adult-like and brown with 12-segmented bodies and 3-segmented labia. Antennae 9-segmented, 1\u003csup\u003est\u003c/sup\u003e segment was the broadest, the 9\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e was the longest with long setae at the tip, and the 8\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e antennal segment was the smallest. The antennae, legs, and labium were longer than the 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e instar. The largest seta is present in the 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e segment of the leg. The third instar period persisted at 39.80\u0026plusmn;1.39 days and exhibited a significant (F=780.3, df=2, P\u0026lt;0.001) difference with adult longevity. After the third instar, the nymphs of scale could not molt in the laboratory (Plate 2j; Table 1).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe average rate of nymphal survivability (%) was 73.68\u0026plusmn;2.33, and the mortality (%) was 26.32\u0026plusmn;2.33. There is a very significant difference (F=205.9, df=1, p=\u0026lt;0.001) between the percentage of nymphal survivability and mortality (Table 1).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdults:\u003c/strong\u003e The average longevity of adult females was 131.60\u0026plusmn;2.98 days, which is significantly highest (F=640.1, df=3, p=\u0026lt;0.001) among different life stages of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e. In the present study, only one generation was observed in its lifespan or in a single year (Table 1). The adult female was bilaterally symmetrical, red-brown in color, 13-segmented body, wingless, well-developed black legs, and two 10-segmented antennae. The body is cottony, oval, soft and covered with slight white wax. Adult female had ventral derm with multilocular pores. Each loculi contains 4-8 rim. The length and width of newly emerged females varied from 12-15 mm and 7.5-9 mm, respectively (Plate 1a-d, 2c-d; Table 1).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eField study\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBiology of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e In the field, the biology of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e was observed on \u003cem\u003eA. procera\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eA. lebbeck\u003c/em\u003e plants. They were found to reside in the protected areas as cracks and crevices in bark (Plate 2e) and on roots. Usually, they do not form any colony but singly move slightly to find a good hiding location on the host and firmly establish themselves until dropping into the earth (Plate 2n). The female forms a cottony ovisac or egg-laying chamber around her body and remains motionless (Plate 2b).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ovisac was found during mid-November - mid-December, and the egg hatched from mid-February to the end of March, after more than two months of diapause. Almost all eggs of a female hatched within 15 days (Table 2). The first instar nymphs crawled up the tree by the end of February \u0026ndash; mid-April when temperatures rise and eventually settle on the bark and crevices of host plants. The 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e and 3\u003csup\u003erd\u003c/sup\u003e instars were found from middle May - middle June and middle June - middle July respectively. Adult females were found by the end of July, and almost all species fell into the soil before the beginning of November (Table 2). \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e prefers to live near the base of the host plant, and many insects also live at or underneath the junction of the plant root and soil from March to September. Crawlers and adults travel for suitable shelter until to develop the soft ovisac.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAssociation of different organisms in the field\u003c/strong\u003e: There was a mutualism relationship was observed in the \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e colony, where thirteen different types of ant species namely, \u003cem\u003eCamponotus pennsylvanicus\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Camponotus consobrinus\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Camponotus floridanus\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Camponotus vicinus\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Solenopsis invicta\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Formica rufa\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Dorylus gribodoi\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Monomorium minimum\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Iridomyrmex purpureus\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Lasius alienus\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Nylanderia fulva\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Lepisiota canescens\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrematogaster cerasi\u003c/em\u003e were found to eat the body wax and honeydew of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e besides they protect its colony from predation (Plate 2k-m, 3a-b). On the other hand, different kinds of predators were observed close to the eggs and first instar of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003ei.e\u003c/em\u003e., \u003cem\u003eTrigoniulus corallinus\u003c/em\u003e (millipede), \u003cem\u003eScolopendra\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003esp. (centipede), several beetle species including \u003cem\u003eRodolia fumida\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHarpalus pensylvanicus\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Pterostichus melanarius\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Cryptolaemus montrouzieri\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Coccinella septempunctata\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Melanotus\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003esp., \u003cem\u003eApogonia\u003c/em\u003e sp.,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;Leptus\u003c/em\u003e sp. (mites), \u003cem\u003ePeriplaneta americana\u003c/em\u003e (cockroach), \u003cem\u003eHemidactylus\u003c/em\u003e sp. (small house lizard) (Plate 3c-g, r). Besides predators such as two tailed spiders, small house lizards (\u003cem\u003eHemidactylus\u003c/em\u003e sp.), oriental garden lizards (\u003cem\u003eCalotes versicolor\u003c/em\u003e), birds; parasites including wasps (\u003cem\u003eSpecius\u003c/em\u003e sp.) and other organisms like bees, dragonflies, butterflies, moth (\u003cem\u003eSiccia guttulosana\u003c/em\u003e), stink bug (\u003cem\u003eTessaratoma papillosa\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHalyomorpha halys\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eUrolabida histrionica\u003c/em\u003e, Pentatomidae, \u003cem\u003eBrochymena\u003c/em\u003e sp.), squirrels were also discovered in the trunk near to further life stages of this insect (Plate 3h-r).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrevalence of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInvasion during 2004-05:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eA total of 8028 \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e individuals were recorded from 102 plants out of a total of 323 plants in JUC under 5 different species in a year (Fig. 2). The tree, \u003cem\u003eA. procera\u003c/em\u003e attracts the highest (F=3.738, df=4, P=0.009) \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e insect. The insect was absent from November to January, and a significantly higher number (F=3.574, df=11, P=0.001) of them was found from March to June. The average monthly population of this pest was very low to moderate (0-427) on different plant species. The mean number varied from 47-336 insect/plant species/month (Fig. 3).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInvasion during 2023-24:\u003c/strong\u003e A total of 1914 \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e individual was recorded from 41 plants out of 166 under 5 species from the same study area in 2023-24 (Fig. 2). The same tree, \u003cem\u003eA. procera\u003c/em\u003e was the most preferred plant for this insect (F=2.757, df=4, P=0.0367). The insect was absent from November to February, but the highest (F=1, df=4, P=0.454) was in June. In this latest study, among the plant species, each hosted a comparatively fewer number of (2-55) insects/month, where the average monthly \u0026nbsp;insect population ranged from 0-97/plant species (Fig. 4).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe insect population (F=4.443, df=1, P=0.0467, 76.16%) and host plants (F=0.142, df=1, P=0.712, 19.5%) substantially decreased from 2004 to\u0026nbsp;2023, though three species of host plant were added newly (Fig. 2- 4).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImpact of weather on \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe weather had a significant impact (2004-05: F=6.347, df=3, P=0.016; 2023-24: F=5.378, df=3, P=0.025) on \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e population abundance in both study years. Temperature (r = 0.65) played the most important role followed by humidity (r = -0.49) and rainfall (r = 0.04) in 2004-05 and in 2023-24 rainfall (r = 0.77) was the most significant factor, followed by temperature (r = 0.64) and humidity (r =0.59). \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eBiology of\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eP. ferox\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe giant scale insect, \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e is little-studied invasive insect pest that is easy to establish when brought to a new nation because of its cryptic and polyphagous habits, smaller size, and higher reproductivity (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Their propensity to spread through wind, rain, splashing water, arthropods, infected plants, bed soil and different animals is higher. Adult \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e is elliptical, 10\u0026ndash;15 mm in length and up to 6mm in width as reported in previous studies (Rao, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1950\u003c/span\u003e; Pathan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Their flexible body structure and sensitivity to light, temperature, and rain have adapted them to reside in protected areas as cracks, crevices in barks and roots (Arora \u0026amp; Nath, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1960\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInsects of this genus were observed to lay their eggs in soil within an ovisac and then die, as found in India (Srivastava \u0026amp; Verghese, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1985\u003c/span\u003e), similar to \u003cem\u003ePerissopneumon tectonae\u003c/em\u003e (Kumar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). The eggs were found to a depth of 5\u0026ndash;20 cm in soil within a few feet in diameter around the base of the host plant, as well as a diapause of about two months in the winter season. A narrower range but equal depth (15\u0026ndash;20 cm in silken purses) was reported for \u003cem\u003eDrosicha mangiferae\u003c/em\u003e (Nair, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1975\u003c/span\u003e; Sathe et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). A similar diapause period was observed in the same species (Srivastava \u0026amp; Verghese, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1985\u003c/span\u003e) and \u003cem\u003eD. mangiferae\u003c/em\u003e (Smith et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Akter et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). After hatching, the crawlers climb on trees as observed by Bodenheimer (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1951\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe first instar nymphs crawled up the tree by the end of February to mid-April when the temperature rises, which is a normal trend of this group of insects, for example, the nymphs of \u003cem\u003ep. ferox\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eP. tectonae\u003c/em\u003e hatched in summer (Arora \u0026amp; Nath \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1960\u003c/span\u003e; Srivastava \u0026amp; Verghese \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1985\u003c/span\u003e). Almost all crawlers hatched in the nearable period in a suitable environment (Sathe et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e), and they did not have a waxy coat after hatching, which made them more susceptible to natural enemies and insecticides. This information can help to determine the best timing of control operations. Gradually waxy coating developed. Once crawlers settle to feed, they become immobile. However, the size of immature stages is almost equal to \u003cem\u003ePerissopneumon tamarindus\u003c/em\u003e (Kumar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe longevity (131.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.98) of adult \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e is considerably longer than other mango mealy bugs, namely \u003cem\u003eD. mangiferae\u003c/em\u003e (39\u0026ndash;69 days) (Bhau et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Adult females were found by the end of July, and almost all species fell into the soil before the beginning of November (Arora \u0026amp; Nath, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1960\u003c/span\u003e; Kumar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). This insect prefers to live near the base of the host plant like other scale insects and mealybugs. They also live at or underneath the junction of plant roots and soil from March to September (Mani et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Generally, this species has one generation in a year and three nymphal instars (Srivastava \u0026amp; Verghese, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1985\u003c/span\u003e). The male is rare to be found in the field. So, females perform parthenogenesis reproduction (Maruthadurai \u0026amp; Karuppaiah, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e) as seen in \u003cem\u003eP. tectonae\u003c/em\u003e (Arora \u0026amp; Nath, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1960\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the present study, 13 types of ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were found with \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e that give them protection from predators (e.g. beetles, mites, spiders, birds, etc.), parasites (e.g. wasps), and other natural enemies. Ants, bees, etc. retain their colony pure from detritus, which allure sooty mold fungi (Plate 2o) (Jose, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Kumar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Kenneth and Jayashankar \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The presence of ants, preferred hosts, and a lack of natural enemies might contribute to the higher population of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eEffects of ecology on\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eP. ferox\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present study observed the declining trend of the insect \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e due to the decline of old host plants by gradual deforestation, fire incidents, clearing forests, plant death, fuel wood collection, applying lime from the base of the plant upwards, lack of awareness, insufficient tree plantation, etc. Generally, the decline of the insect population is attributed to competition and remoteness of the host plant (John et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e), which is analogous to the present situation as well as the scenario all over the country. The insects mostly resided beneath the loose bark and in the cracks and fissures of the stem but the newly identified host had fewer bark and cracks and carried a few number of insects. The test insect prefers to survive in the soil when the condition are unsuitable. The factors listed above as well as the shortage of new plantations could be contributing to the \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e population decline (Reza \u0026amp; Hasan, 2019; Hoque, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Sathe \u0026amp; Rahman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). To maintain ecological balance, the authority needs to take proper action for the restoration of conservation and practice eco-forestry, punishing rule breakers harshly, building social movement and raising awareness about deforestation, fight against corruption, and ensure transparency (Roy et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Reza \u0026amp; Hasan, 2019; Hoque, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe impact of weather on\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eP. ferox\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eClimate variables including rainfall, relative humidity, and temperature are interrelated. The population of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e exhibited a substantial positive association with the T\u003csub\u003emax\u003c/sub\u003e, T\u003csub\u003emin\u003c/sub\u003e, and T\u003csub\u003eavg\u003c/sub\u003e. This insect is known as a tropical and subtropical pest throughout the globe including Bangladesh (Varshney, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1992\u003c/span\u003e; Ben-Dov et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; Mondol et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). The test insect, \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e was found to be more common during the pre-monsoon (F\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3, df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2, P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.08), followed by monsoon, and post-monsoon periods, which was also observed in a previous study in Bangladesh for \u003cem\u003eD. mangiferae\u003c/em\u003e (Akter et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) and for \u003cem\u003eP. tamarindus\u003c/em\u003e (Uddin et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Banik et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Previous studies also found a significant positive link between weather factors to \u003cem\u003eD. mangiferae\u003c/em\u003e in India (Chakraborty et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) and in Indonesia (Supriadi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). In addition, a negative link between humidity and temperature, and no correlation of rainfall to \u003cem\u003eP. tamatrindus\u003c/em\u003e population density (Banik et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), besides the detrimental impact of heavy rain and the beneficial link of light rainfall was observed (Karthik et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdditionally, scale insects can overwinter as eggs, immature, or adults (Smith et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). They were absent in the winter months on a stem. Then, they may have hidden and taken refuge under the soil close to the roots for pupation and protected their generation from natural enemies, inter- or intraspecific competition, and unfavorable climate. It first appeared in March, then began to rise and peaked in June. Then began a dramatic decline in July through October. The current results are consistent with those of Pathan et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) in India, who stated that the highest population of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e was observed during June on \u003cem\u003eEmblica officinalis\u003c/em\u003e. They infest woody plants during periods of rapid growth, budding, flowering, and fruiting of plants in summer and monsoon (Ullah, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1987\u003c/span\u003e; Azam et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe biology of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e was studied both in the laboratory and in the fields in JU. Its pre-oviposition, oviposition, and incubation period, fecundity, hatchability, duration of nymphal instars, nymphal survivability, mortality, and adult longevity were determined on \u003cem\u003eA. procera\u003c/em\u003e plant under laboratory conditions. Habit and some aspects of biology and natural biota related to this species in the field were also noted. The present findings regarding the life cycle study indicate its higher fecundity and good adaptation. The population incidences of \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e on 8 plant species in different months of the recent year and twenty years back were also studied. Its field incidence declined in the recent study due to environmental degradation as well as varied in different seasons, and plant species. Generally, in a world of diverse herbivores, the sap sucker scale insects can be often neglected in many ecological studies, and they become pests when their population exceeds a certain threshold. Their miniature sizes can make us overlook their existence, yet their presence can be linked to many other organisms including smaller life forms like ants, and bees to larger forms like birds, which play a noteworthy role in an ecosystem. The number of host plants and insect biota especially herbivores reduced drastically mainly due to defective urbanization. Unfortunately, human interference through their activities has adversely affected biodiversity both for plants and animals. However, to control the population of scale, the present study recommends \u003cem\u003eP. ferox\u003c/em\u003e can be checked by integration of banding of plant trunks with polythene sheet, grease or glue should be applied at the lower edge of band, put soil at the base of plants will prevent nymphs crawling up the plant, destruction of eggs by soil working, application of not attacked plant (e.g. \u003cem\u003ePolyalthia longifolia\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSwietenia mahagoni\u003c/em\u003e etc.) extracts such as plant sap, leaf or bark juice, flower, and seed or leave dust as their repellants, action of natural enemies and application of insecticides (Akter et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Finally, this kind of study should be more and more, which may be beneficial to predict pest outbreak time and Integrated Pest Management practices to protect the relevant crops.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":" \u003cp\u003eJUC Jahangirnagar University Campus\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eANOVA Analysis of variance\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD Least significant difference\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSE Standard error\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCV Coefficient of variation\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data and materials are contained within the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;The authors declare no competing of interests. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIZC and GMSR have made a major contribution to conceptualizing the idea, writing the manuscript. IZC made the practical part, analyzed the data, and drafted the MS. GMSR interpreted the data and edited the MS. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe JU administration is appreciated for its support in research on campus. Furthermore, the authors would like to thank Dr. Abu Sayed Chowdhury, for his valuable technical assistance.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAkter, S., Mandal, B. K., Khatun, R., \u0026amp; Alim, M.A. (2017). Seasonal prevalence of giant mealy bug \u003cem\u003eDrosicha mangiferae\u003c/em\u003e (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) in the college of home economics, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 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Climate change and its potential impacts on insect- plant interactions. In: Harris SA (eds) The nature, causes, effects and mitigation of climate change on the environment. \u003cem\u003eIntechOpen\u003c/em\u003e, pp 393\u0026ndash;415. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.5772/intechopen.98203\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.5772/intechopen.98203\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKenneth, A., \u0026amp; Jayashankar, M. (2020). Size matters: Xylem and Phloem feeders. Agriculture \u0026amp; Food: E-Newsletter, \u003cem\u003e2\u003c/em\u003e(11), 776\u0026ndash;779.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKhan, S. A., Sultana, S., Hossain, G. M., Shetu, S. S., \u0026amp; Rahim, M. A. (2021). Floristic composition of Jahangirnagar University Campus \u0026ndash; A semi-natural area of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy, \u003cem\u003e28\u003c/em\u003e(1), 27\u0026ndash;60. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v28i1.54207\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.3329/bjpt.v28i1.54207\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKondo, T. \u0026amp; Gullan, P. J. (2022). Chapter 1. Beneficial scale insects. In: Kondo T, Watson GW (eds) Encyclopedia of Scale Insect Pests. CABI, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, pp 1\u0026ndash;7. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/362293604_Chapter_1_Beneficial_scale_insects\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362293604_Chapter_1_Beneficial_scale_insects\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKumar, H., Ola, C. M., \u0026amp; Karel, A. (2018). Ecology and Management of Ber Mealy bug (\u003cem\u003ePerissopneumon tamarindus\u003c/em\u003e (Green). In: Staff, K. J. (eds). \u003cem\u003eAgripedia-Krishi Jagran\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://krishijagran.com/agripedia/ecology-and-management-of-ber-mealy-bug-perissopneumon-tamarindus-green/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://krishijagran.com/agripedia/ecology-and-management-of-ber-mealy-bug-perissopneumon-tamarindus-green/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKumar, S., Chavan, S., \u0026amp; Prajapati, V. M. (2017). New records of insect-pests and natural enemies on economically important forest trees in Dang district of Gujarat. Journal of Tree Sciences, \u003cem\u003e36\u003c/em\u003e(1), 16\u0026ndash;28. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.5958/2455-7129.2017.00002.4\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.5958/2455-7129.2017.00002.4\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMahore, P., \u0026amp; Pandey, A. K. (2023). Seasonal incidence of major insect pests of Mungbean. Indian Journal of Entomology, \u003cem\u003e85\u003c/em\u003e(1), 219\u0026ndash;221. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.55446/IJE.2022.802\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.55446/IJE.2022.802\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMani, M., Smitha, M. S., \u0026amp; Najitha, U. (2016). Root mealybugs and their management in horticultural crops in India. Pest Management in Horticultural Ecosystems, \u003cem\u003e22\u003c/em\u003e(2), 103\u0026ndash;113.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaruthadurai, R., \u0026amp; Karuppaiah, V. (2014). Managing menace of insect pests on Custard Apple. Popular Kheti, \u003cem\u003e2\u003c/em\u003e(3), 108\u0026ndash;111.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMondol, M. A. H., Kazi, M. S. I., Rahman, M. F., \u0026amp; Rakib, M. R. (2019). Microclimatic study using temperature data of Jahangirnagar University of Bangladesh. Climate Change \u003cem\u003e5\u003c/em\u003e(18), 108\u0026ndash;115.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNair, M. R. G. K. (1975). Insects and mites of crops in India. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, pp 239\u0026ndash;240.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePathan, N. P., Jaiman, R. S., Amin, A. U., \u0026amp; Prajapati, B. G. (2018). First report of scale, \u003cem\u003ePerissopneumon ferox\u003c/em\u003e new stead (Monophlebidae: Hemiptera) on Aonla (\u003cem\u003eEmblica officinalis\u003c/em\u003e Gaertn.) from Gujarat, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, \u003cem\u003e6\u003c/em\u003e(4), 1287\u0026ndash;1288.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePrasanna, P. M., \u0026amp; Balikai, R. A. (2015). Seasonal incidence of grapevine mealy bug, \u003cem\u003eMaconellicoccus hirsutus\u003c/em\u003e (Green) and its natural enemies. Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences, \u003cem\u003e28\u003c/em\u003e(3), 347\u0026ndash;350.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRao, P. V. (1950). The status of the genus \u003cem\u003ePerissopneumon\u003c/em\u003e Newstead and description of the new genus \u003cem\u003eMisracoccus\u003c/em\u003e (Hemiptera: Coccidae). \u003cem\u003eProceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London Series B, Toxonomy, 19\u003c/em\u003e(7\u0026ndash;8), 114\u0026ndash;120\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReza, A. A., \u0026amp; Hasan, M. K. (2020). Chapter 2. Forest biodiversity and deforestation in Bangladesh: The latest update. In: Suratman, M. N., Latif, Z. A., Oliveira, G. D., Brunsell, N., Shimabukuro, Y., \u0026amp; Santos, C. A. C. D. (eds). Forest degradation around the world. \u003cem\u003eIntechOpen\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.5772/intechopen.86242\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.5772/intechopen.86242\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRoy, S., Islam, M. S., \u0026amp; Islam, M. M. (2014). Underlying causes of deforestation and its effects on the environment of Madhupur Sal forest, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Environmental Science, \u003cem\u003e27\u003c/em\u003e, 162\u0026ndash;169.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSathe, T. A. \u0026amp; Rahman, S. H. 2023. Land use land cover dynamics and its signature on land surface temperature in Savar, Bangladesh. Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, \u003cem\u003e8\u003c/em\u003e, 21\u0026ndash;32. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://juniv.edu/journal/11423/file\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://juniv.edu/journal/11423/file\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSathe, T. V., Shendge, N., Khairmode, P. V., Kambale, C., Patil, S. S., \u0026amp; Desai, A. S. (2014). Incidence and damage of mealybugs \u003cem\u003eDrosicha mangifeae\u003c/em\u003e Green (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on mango \u003cem\u003eMabgifera indica\u003c/em\u003e L. from Kolhapur district, India. International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, \u003cem\u003e3\u003c/em\u003e(3), 905\u0026ndash;909.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSharma, B., Sushmita, Kumar, A. (2021). Chapter 7. Insects: Ecological role, importance, edible and harmful. In: Sahu, D. K., Yadav, V. K., Kumar, A., \u0026amp; Suroothiya, M. A. (eds) Scope and Challenges of Science, Enginnering and Technology. pp 85\u0026ndash;97.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSmith, H., Cowles, R., and Hiskes, R. (2016). Scale insect pests of Connecticut trees and ornamentals. Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, USA.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSrivastava, R. P., \u0026amp; Verghese, A. (1985). Record of a new mealybug, \u003cem\u003ePerissopneumon ferox\u003c/em\u003e Newstead (Mrgarodidae: Homoptera) on mango from Uttar Pradesh, India. Entomon, \u003cem\u003e10\u003c/em\u003e(2), 184\u0026ndash;185.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSupriadi, K., Mudjiono, G., Abadi, A. L., \u0026amp; Karindah, S. (2015). 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Fruit Research Station, BARI, Binodpur, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttp://apps.barc.gov.bd/armis/home/research/detail/6426\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"http://apps.barc.gov.bd/armis/home/research/detail/6426\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUllah, G. M. R. (1987). Faunistic and biological studies on the Coccoidea of Bangladesh. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Zoology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, pp 1-395.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVarshney, R. K. (1992). A check- list of the scale insects and mealy bugs of South Asia. Part-1. \u003cem\u003eRecords of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 139\u003c/em\u003e, 1-152. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://www.neliti.com/publications/93334/the-influence-of-environmental-factors-to-the-abundance-of-scales-hemiptera-dias\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://www.neliti.com/publications/93334/the-influence-of-environmental-factors-to-the-abundance-of-scales-hemiptera-dias\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cp\u003eTable 1 and 2 are available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Plate","content":"\u003cp\u003ePlate 1 to 3 are available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Scale insect, Perissopneumon ferox, Biology, Ecological fitness, JU, Bangladesh","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6593644/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6593644/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe giant scale insect, \u003cem\u003ePerissopneumon ferox\u003c/em\u003e Newstead is a major destructive, polyphagous, monophlebid pest that causes significant plant yield loss, typically found on woody plants, and is challenging to control. As a newly documented pest in Bangladesh, the present study deals with its biology, incidence, and ecological impacts both in the laboratory and in the field of Jahangirnagar University campus (JUC), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Study of biology is conducted at room temperature, and a two-year field sampling is carried out on eight marked host plant species by visual counting in regular fortnightly surveys. A total number of 8028 insects in 2004–2005 on 5 host plant species and 1914 individuals in 2023–2024 on an equal number of host plant species, including three new plants are recorded. The host \u003cem\u003eAlbizia procera\u003c/em\u003e is the highest-infested tree. The pest insect peaks in June and gradually decreases to the end of the rainy season. No male is observed, and the female reproduces by thelytokous parthenogenesis, with laying eggs from mid-November to mid-December. Then the eggs hatch under the soil after more than two months of diapause in winter. In the laboratory study, its lifespan is recorded from 227–263 days including the nymphal period of 158.20 ± 2.54 days. Its fecundity is 231 ± 7.09. There are 13 types of ants found to be associated with this scale colony. The host plants and insect individuals declined in the latest study up to 19.5% and 76.16%, respectively, due to gradual deforestation. The current research will help understand the biology and ecological fitness of this insect, which is essential to figuring out its field management system.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Bioecology and prevalence of giant scale insect, Perissopneumon ferox Newstead (Homoptera: Monophlebidae) in Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-15 11:38:50","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6593644/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":2}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"a1df7813-7ca0-45d7-8993-e6c49ad25aa2","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 15th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-31T22:53:11+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-15 11:38:50","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6593644","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6593644","identity":"rs-6593644","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}