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Crystallotesta ornata (Maskell)

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Ornate scale
[Crystallotesta ornata]. L: a young adult female. R: a mature female; both are facing down the twig.

[Crystallotesta ornata]. L: a young adult female. R: a mature female; both are facing down the twig.

William Maskell named this scale ornata in 1885.

This scale is closely related to Crystallotesta ornatella, but they are different in size and live on different host plants. C. ornata is the large one. As well as totara trees in the podocarps habitat, ornate scale is found on broadleaf trees in the lowland forest habitat.

Biology: Has one generation per year and overwinters as small 2nd-instar females and males. In late winter, the females move off the old leaves onto the stems and continue their development to adult. The males stop feeding and stay behind on old leaves; they lose their mouthparts as they moult and go through a metamorphosis to emerge as tiny winged insects quite unlike the female ales. The adult males live for only a few days, long enough to mate with females.

Found on the undersides of leaves, and stems of:

Beilschmiedia tawa tawa
Elaeocarpus sp.  
Hedycarya arborea porokaiwhiri / pigeonwood
Nothofagus truncata hard beech
Podocarpus totara tōtara
Vitex lucens pūriri