Giant pine coccids, giant pine scales, or marchalinids
Body large, up to 11 mm; usually yellow; legs large, dark; producing ventral, white ovisac; immature female forms similar in appearance to adult female; males known in 1 species, with winged and wingless forms; winged form with central tuft of filaments.
Anal tube sclerotized but without sclerotized ring or pores; 4 or 5 pores on each surface of trochanter oriented at 45 degree angle from proximal margin of trochanter; without cicatrices; 7 abdominal spiracles, without pores in atrium; antennae usually 9- segmented.
Placement of Marchalina is problematic. Morrison (1928) and Koteja (1974) considered it to be part of the Coelostomidiidae; but the work of Gullan and Sjaarda (2001) placed it basally in the Monophlebidae. For the purposes of this key, we consider Marchalinidae to be a family group distinct from other members of the margarodoids. Marchalinidae was first used as a family by Koteja (1996a).
Marchalinids occur in two zoogeographical regions, the Nearctic region and Palaearctic region. Find a list of species in the Palaearctic region. They are most speciose in the Palaearctic region.
Marchalinids are found on conifers in the genera Pinus, Abies, and Picea.
Marchalinids apparently have 4 instars in the female and 5 in the male. Marchalina caucasica Hadzibeyli has a generation every 2 years and lives at high altitudes in the conifer forests.
Ferris 1925; Gullan and Sjaarda 2001; Hodgson and Foldi 2006; Hovasse 1930; Hadzibejli 1969; Koteja 1996a; Marotta and Priore 1994; Morrison 1928.
Click here for a check list of all marchalinid genera and species.