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The distribution and abundance of the coccid leery a seychellarum Westw. on Aldabra atoll
Author(s) -
HILL M. G.,
NEWBERY D. McC.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1980.tb01132.x
Subject(s) - atoll , infestation , biology , abundance (ecology) , ecology , taxon , vegetation (pathology) , botany , medicine , pathology , reef
.Icerya seychellarum , a polyphagous phloem feeding coccid, was discovered on Aldabra atoll in 1968. It was not recorded by early expeditions to the atoll, and is probably a recent introduction. Its infestation rose to a peak density around 1975, and thereafter declined, as revealed by a comparison of fifty‐one woody taxa common to three surveys. In 1975, twenty‐one taxa were ‘heavily’ infested and twenty‐one ‘lightly’/‘moderately’ infested. By the end of 1978, no taxa remained ‘heavily’ infested and thirty‐seven were ‘lightly’/‘moderately’ infested. The state of vegetation showed negligible change between the 1976/77 and 1978 surveys, refuting an earlier prediction that it would be substantially modified by the Icerya infestation. The subsequent decline in infestation cannot here be attributed to the development of natural enemies. Possible reasons, which are discussed, include changes in the quality of the coccid or its host.