New Zealand Invertebrates

DSC_5788 Great Giant Scale (Coelostomidia zealandica) on silver beech trunk. These sap-feeding females excrete considerable quantities of sugar-rich honeydew - an important sugar resource for forest insects birds and reptiles. Females are quite large with a body length of 6-15 mm, and a width of 4-8 mm, whereas the smaller, winged males, are only 3.5-4.3 mm in length. Waikaia Bush *

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DSC_5788 Great Giant Scale (Coelostomidia zealandica) on silver beech trunk. These sap-feeding females excrete considerable quantities of sugar-rich honeydew - an important sugar resource for forest insects birds and reptiles. Females are quite large with a body length of 6-15 mm, and a width of 4-8 mm, whereas the smaller, winged males, are only 3.5-4.3 mm in length. Waikaia Bush *

DSC 5788 Great Giant Scale mealy bug mealybug native giant Coelostomidia zealandica silver beech trunk sapfeeding female honeydew Waikaia Bush