PHYLOGENETIC PLACEMENT OF THE WHITE COCONUT SCALE, PARLAGENA BENNETTI WILLIAMS (HEMIPTERA DIASPIDIDAE)

Parlagena bennetti Williams (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) is commonly known as the coconut scale and has only been collected in some islands in the Caribbean, Central America and the northernmost countries of South America. The species P. bennetti has been placed in Parlagena, a genus of few species currently considered as closely related to Parlatoria Targioni Tozzetti, but it has never been involved in molecular phylogenetic analysis. Here we include data from three genes of P. bennetti with 32 other armored scale insects and one outgroup to determine the correct placement of this species among armored scale insects. Both combined analysis and individual genealogies demonstrate the probable placement of this species in the subfamily Diaspidinae, likely as part of the tribe Lepidosaphidini