Publisher's Synopsis
The soft-scales (Coccidae) are one of about 20 families of the scale insect superfamily Coccoidea. The females are all sap-sucking and all 1100 known species are potential pests in agriculture, horticulture or forestry. This family is amongst the most poorly known although the third largest in the superfamily. This book discusses all known genera and redescribes and illustrates the adult females of the type species of about 160 soft scale genera. No previous revision has covered all world genera. On the basis of this study a new classification of the soft-scales is introduced based on both male and female characters and keys are provided to the identification of the type species (females) of each genus. An introductory chapter describes the basic structure and introduces the terminology. As the females of all Coccoidea are of potential economic importance, this book will be of value to any entomologist who needs to identify soft-scales either for quarantine or for research involving natural enemies for biological control.
