Captive pine scales, Desmococcus captivus, are scale insects from the family Margarodidae (Hemiptera).The genus is poorly known and includes just two species: D. captivus and D. sedentarius, both native to the western United States, both described in 1942.The captive pine scale lives lives on the sap of mature Pinus monophylla (single-leaf pinyon) pines; females live in cells deep in the trunk and large branches.This species is known only from California.
Adult female D. captivus are round in shape, grow to 2.5 mm long, lack legs, and have reduced antennae.Nymphs are also round and up to 1 mm in size.The captive pine scale is distinguished from its congenitor in having 2 -3 cicastrices on the ventral surface of the 5th-7th abdominal segments and derm pores on posterior abdomen segments, neither of which occur on D. sedentarius.These species are similar in behavior and morphology to other pine-inhabiting scales in the margarodid genera Pityococcus and Matsucoccus.The impact of D. captivus scales on the health of their pine hosts or on economics of pine farming is not documented.
(Ben-Dov et al. 2013; Ben-Dove 2013; Gill 1993)
