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Kalasiris depressa (Maskell)

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Glassy coprosma scale
[Kalasiris depressa]. L: young adult female. R: mature adult female. Her body (greenish colour) has shrunk into the front half of her waxy test.

[Kalasiris depressa]. L: young adult female. R: mature adult female. Her body (greenish colour) has shrunk into the front half of her waxy test.

William Maskell named this species  in 1884.

The back half of the test is acting as a brood chamber, providing shelter for the young crawlers (fawn colour) before they go out from under the edge of the test and disperse to new settling sites.

Biology: one generation per year. Females mature and produce their young in Spring, and males develop on the similar leaves. The tiny winged adult males live for only a few days, long enough to mate with females.

Found on the undersides of leaves of:

Coprosma arborea māmāngi
Coprosma colensoi  
Coprosma foetidissima hūpiro / stinkwood
Coprosma rhamnoides  
Coprosma sp.