AN UPDATED CHECKLIST OF SCALE INSECTS (HEMIPTERA: COCCOIDEA) OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR

Resumen

The information available on Coccoidea in the Galapagos Islands is sparse. Data on the species present, their distribution and host plants were compiled using recent information at the Charles Darwin Research Station and from the literature. Up to January 2008, 80 species from eight families were reported, more than doubling the total known in 2001. Of the 63 species whose origin has been determined, 50 are believed to have been introduced inadvertently on plants, fruits or vegetables, nine are endemic and four more are thought to be native. The low number of endemic and native species suggests that scale insects have been poor at reaching the islands naturally.