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Ctenochiton chelyon Henderson & Hodgson

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Turtleshell scale
[Ctenochiton chelyon]. Two adult females together and several of their crawlers (young scales) walking around them.

[Ctenochiton chelyon]. Two adult females together and several of their crawlers (young scales) walking around them.

The species name chelyon means tortoise-shell or turtleshell, the scale is patterned and shaped like a colourful turtle.

This scale is closely related to the three other species of Ctenochiton, thesixpenny scales. They got this nickname a long time ago, probably at the beginning of last century.

Biology: Has one generation per year and overwinters as small 2nd-instar females and males. As soon as spring growth starts on the host trees, the female scales move off the old leaves onto the new shoots and take advantage of the rising sap to speed up 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 scales. The adult males live for only a few days, long enough to mate with females.

Found on the undersides of leaves of:

Clematis cunninghamii small-flowered clematis
Coprosma sp.  
Corynocarpus laevigatus karaka
Elingamita johnsonii  
Litsea calicaris mangeao
Melicope simplex  
Plagianthus sp. ribbonwood
Streblus heterophyllus tūrepo / milk tree
Vitex lucens pūriri