Australian scale insect project

This project aims to work with the iNat community to record and document observations of scale insects (preferably native species) in Australia. This is to help make informed decisions by Agriculture Victoria regarding the biocontrol of the introduced pest species known as giant pine scale (GPS; Marchalina hellenica). Uploading and identifying specimens will help us gain a better understanding of the distribution, host use and life cycle of Australian scale insects. This information will be used to legally collect specimens to establish laboratory populations of scale insects to test against the proposed biocontrol agent to control GPS (a predatory fly from the Mediterranean, Neoleucopis kartliana). Testing how the biocontrol agent interacts with non-target species in a controlled biosecurity facility will allow us to assess the potential risks the biocontrol agent might have on these native species before it can be deemed safe to release into the wild. This project will also likely flag currently undocumented diversity in Australia's native scale insect fauna. For more information about the pest species GPS please visit this Agriculture Victoria website: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/pest-insects-and-mites/priority-pest-insects-and-mites/giant-pine-scale less ↑