Lepidosaphes beckii (Newman, 1869)

Borg (1898; 1919) recorded this scale under the names Mytilaspis citricola Pachard and M. flavescens . Borg (1922a: 82) wrote that the scale had been “established in these islands since 1870–73. When this parasite first made its appearance in Malta, it caused a great deal of uneasiness, many [ Citrus] groves suffering severely and becoming unproductive, and numbers of young trees as well as trees in full bearing were killed or became too much exhausted to be retained”. Recorded also by Saliba (1963) as occasional on orange, and by Farrugia (1998).

Material examined: MALTA, Marsa, Għammieri 3.iv.1999, 2 ♀♀ on Citrus aurantii, CF; Marsa, Għammieri, 6.iii.1997, 1 ♀ on C. aurantii, CF; Żurrieq, 17.ii.2007, 1 ♀ on Citrus sp., DM ; Bugibba, 14.ii.2012, 8 ♀♀ on C. sinensis, CM; Luqa, 19.ii.2012, 2 ♀♀ on C. limon, CM . GOZO, Kercem, Dawara Valley, 16.iii.1994, 2 ♀♀ on C. sinensis, GW; Vittoriosa, 26.ii.1995, 1 ♀ on Citrus sp., DM .