Mealybug is the common name of insects in Pseudococcidae, a
family of unarmored
scale insects found in moist, warm climates. They are considered
pests as they feed on plant juices of
greenhouse plants, house plants and subtropical trees.Mealybugs are sexually dimorphic, meaning that the sexes have distinct morphological differences. Females are nymphal, exhibit reduced morphology, and are wingless, though unlike many female scale insects, they often retain legs and can move. The females do not change completely and are likely to be
neotenic (exhibiting nymphal characteristics). Males are winged and do change completely during their lives. Since mealybugs (as well as all other
Hemiptera) are
hemimetabolous insects, they do not undergo complete metamorphosis in the true sense of the word. I.e. there are no clear larval, pupal and adult stages, and the wings do not develop internally. However, male mealybugs do exhibit a radical change during their life cycle, changing from wingless, ovoid nymphs to "wasp-like" flying adults.
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