Taxonomic information	Current valid scientific name: Phenacoccus solenopsisSynonyms: Phenacoccus cevalliae, Phenacoccus gossypiphilousName used in the EU legislation: –Order: HemipteraFamily: PseudococcidaeCommon name: cotton mealybug, solenopsis mealybugName used in the Dossier: Phenacoccus solenopsis
Group	Insects
EPPO code	PHENSO
Regulated status	Phenacoccus solenopsis is not regulated in the EU, neither listed by EPPO.It is a quarantine pest in Bangladesh (Islam et al., 2017).
Pest status in Israel	Present, widespread in Israel (EPPO, online; García Morales et al., online; Spodek et al., 2018).It was first reported in the Jordan Valley in 2008 on basil (Ocimum basilicum) and bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) (Spodek et al., 2018).
Pest status in the EU	Restricted, present in Cyprus and the Netherlands (CABI, online; García Morales et al., online). In the Netherlands, the pest was observed only in greenhouses (CABI, online). According to Personal communication of Milonas (2020), the pest was recently found on tomato plants on Crete island.
Host status on Ficus carica	Ficus carica was reported as host of P. solenopsis with incidental infestation level (Arif et al., 2009; Fallahzadeh et al., 2014).
PRA information	The Pest Risk Assessments available for are Phenacoccus solenopsis:– Rapid pest risk analysis for Phenacoccus solenopsis (Cotton mealybug) and the closely related P. defectus and P. solani (Malumphy et al., 2013).– Pest risk analysis (PRA) of Mealybug Spp. in Bangladesh (Islam et al., 2017).
Other relevant information for the assessment
Biology	Phenacoccus solenopsis originates from southern California and Nevada (Spodek et al., 2018). The life cycle of P. solenopsis ranges between 28 and 35 days. The pest can complete about 8–12 generations in a year (Fand and Suroshe, 2015).Female of P. solenopsis develops through an egg, three nymphal instars to an adult. The male has additional nymphal stage, the last two are called prepupa and pupa. Males have wings and females are wingless. Reproduction is sexual and ovoviviparous. Adult females are pale yellow to orange covered by powdery, wax secretion (Hodgson et al., 2008). They mate only once and lay ~ 150–600 eggs in a white, waxy ovisac (Fand and Suroshe, 2015). Facultative parthenogenesis was observed under laboratory conditions of mealybugs collected from Nagpur, India (Vennila et al., 2010).The first nymphs are crawlers, which disperse to other parts of the same plant or get carried by the wind or other means (machinery, workers, animals) to other areas (Hodgson et al., 2008).The adult males live from few hours up to 3 days, depending on the temperature (Hodgson et al., 2008). Adult females can live for up to 3 months (Gerson and Aplebaum, online).In Israel, the pest was observed on roots and root collars of weeds. In winter, P. solenopsis populations were found on the stems, branches and root collar of hibiscus plants (Spodek et al., 2018).It overwinters as an adult female, on the bark, the stem and branches of woody plants. It seems that it may develop in the ground on roots of non‐woody plants (Spodek et al., 2018). This mealybug has been reported to be capable of surviving temperatures ranging from 0 to 45°C, throughout the year (CABI, online).The crawlers of P. solenopsis have been reported be commonly dispersed by wind for distances ranging from a few meters to several kilometres (Islam et al., 2017).
Symptoms	Main type of symptoms	Phenacoccus solenopsis prefers the upper parts of the plants, young shoots or branches carrying fruitlets (Spodek et al., 2018). Large populations of mealybugs cause general weakening, distortion, defoliation, dieback and death of susceptible plants (Malumphy et al., 2013). Plants become covered in sooty moulds that grow on the honeydew produced by mealybugs. The honeydew also attracts ants that protect the mealybugs from natural enemies (Hodgson et al., 2008).The infested plants of cotton become stunted, growth appears to stop, and most plants look dehydrated. In severe outbreaks, the bolls fail to open, and defoliation occurs (including the loss of flower buds, flowers and immature bolls) (Hodgson et al., 2008).On tomatoes the pest causes foliar yellowing, leaf wrinkling, puckering and severe damage, resulting in death (Ibrahim et al., 2015).
	Presence of asymptomatic plants	Plant damage might not be obvious in early infestation or during dormancy (due to absence of leaves), but the presence of mealybugs on the plants could be observed. During the crawler stage, infestation is difficult to be noted (Ben‐Dov, 1994).
	Confusion with other pathogens/pests	Phenacoccus solenopsis is very similar to other species of Phenacoccus. A microscope observation with the morphological key are needed for identification of the pest (Hodgson et al., 2008).
Host plant range	Phenacoccus solenopsis is highly invasive and polyphagous pest, and it is reported from more than 200 plant species (Fand and Suroshe, 2015).The host plants of economic importance are okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), sapota (Achras zapota), cashew (Anacardium occidentale), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), chilli (Capsicum annuum), papaya (Carica papaya), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), round melon (Citrullus vulgaris), musk melon (Cucumis melo), pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), fig (Ficus carica), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), mesta (Hibiscus cannabinus), ambadi (Hibiscus sabdariffa), bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), ridged gourd (Luffa acutangula), sponge gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca), mango (Mangifera indica), bitter guard (Momordica charantia), white mulberry (Morus alba), guava (Psidium guajava), pomegranate (Punica granatum), sesame (Sesamum indicum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), brinjal (Solanum melongena), potato (Solanum tuberosum), jowari (Sorghum bicolor), green gram (Vigna radiata), common grape vine (Vitis vinifera), ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) and many other plants (Arif et al., 2009; Fallahzadeh et al., 2014; Fand and Suroshe, 2015; García Morales et al., online). Weed species are also suitable host plants to P. solenopsis (Vennila et al., 2013).The main economic impact was reported on cotton, causing 30–60% yield losses in India and Pakistan (Fand and Suroshe, 2015). In Israel, it is a serious pest in greenhouses (on bell pepper, tomato, eggplant) and on cotton fields (Spodek et al., 2018).
Pathways	Possible pathways of entry for mealybugs are plant materials of any kind (hiding in a protected site – on the bark, roots, stems, leaves), human transportation, irrigation water, wind, animals and ants (Mani and Shivaraju, 2016).
Surveillance information	No surveillance information for this pest is currently available from PPIS. There is no information on whether the pest has ever been found in the nursery or their surrounding environment.