Back

Mussel Scale

Lepidosaphes ulmi

Classification

Class
Insecta

Lepidosaphes ulmi also known as apple mussel scale or oystershell scale is a widely invasive scale insect that is a pest of trees and woody plants. The small insects attach themselves to bark and cause injury by sucking the tree's sap; this metabolic drain on the plant may kill a branch or the entire tree. Biology The adult female oystershell scale is up to four millimetres long, elongated, tapering to a point at the posterior end and often slightly curved, somewhat resembling a mussel shell.

Distribution

(c) A. Steven Munson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Loading map…
Countries in the Picchu catalog
United Kingdom · 47Germany · 4Belgium · 3