First Record of Pseudococcus prunicolus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Mexico

Peach, Prunus persica L. (Rosaceae), a deciduous fruit species native to Asia, is widely cultivated in the world's temperate zones (Zheng et al. 2014, Luo et al. 2022).It is a crop valued for its nutritional attributes (Hussain et al. 2021), pharmacological properties (Belarbi et al. 2025), and its economic importance (Khadka et al. 2025).The global area under cultivation is estimated at 165 million ha, with a production of 56,691,269 tons (FAO 2025).Mexico is one of the world's top 20 producers (260,448 tons in 2025), with its main production areas located in the northern and central parts of the country (SIAP 2025).In addition to being a fruit crop, peach and other Prunus spp.are also used as ornamental trees in the temperate urban areas of the Valley of Mexico.Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) were recently detected on the trunks and roots of young trees.This may represent an urban ecological problem as well as a threat to regions that produce peaches.Pseudococcidae is the third most specious scale insect family, with 2200 species in more than 270 genera (García-Morales et al. 2016).Some of these species are of economic importance because they are polyphagous and are found on various crops and ornamental plants.Their feeding habits and excretion of large amounts of honeydew (which subsequently promotes sooty mold and contaminates fruits, leaves and branches) reduce fruit quality and limit the plant's photosynthetic capacity (Plata et al. 2022).Losses caused by invasive mealybug species vary depending on the crop and management practices.In Mexico, 100% losses were recorded in 2001 on 150 ha