Plumichiton flavus (Maskell)

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[Plumichiton flavus]. Adult female.

William Maskell named this species in 1884, for its golden colour. Sometimes it is browner in colour.

Biology: one generation per year. Probably overwinters as the young adult female. Much honeydew is produced by colonies of this scale insect; this was particularly notable in Fiordland, where the host trees were blackend with sooty mould living on the honeydew. Is susceptible to attack by the "orange puffs" fungus, Hypocrella duplex.

Found on the stems and leaves of:

Beilschmiedia tawa	tawa
Brachyglottis sp.
Elaeocarpus dentatus	hīnau
Hebe elliptica
Hedycarya arborea	porokaiwhiri / pigeonwood
Leptospermum sp.
Melicytus ramiflorus	māhoe / whiteywood
Myrsine australis	māpou / red matipou
Myrsine salicina	toro
Pittosporum sp.
Prumnopitys ferruginea	miro
Pseudowintera axillaris	horopito
Pseudowintera colorata	horopito / pepper tree
Ripognum scandens	kareao / supplejack
Weinmannia racemosa	kāmahi