Kerriidae

Distinguished from other scale insect families by the copious secretion of lac resin that forms a hard, protective covering. Lobate lac scale (Paratachardina lobata) can be identified by its characteristic lobed, star-shaped appearance. True lac scale (Kerria lacca) forms rounded, encrusting colonies on host branches. Molecular identification may be necessary for species-level determination where morphological characters overlap. Presence of associated ant attendants can indicate Kerriidae in field settings.

Tropical and subtropical regions; found on woody host plants including legumes (Dalbergia, Pongamia), figs (Ficus), and various trees and shrubs. Cultivated lac insects are raised on plantation host trees in mountainous areas with distinct wet and dry seasons. Native populations occur in forested and woodland habitats.

Native to South and Southeast Asia (India, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Malaysia); introduced populations established in Florida (USA) and other regions. Commercial cultivation concentrated in India, China, and Thailand. Some species have become invasive outside native range.

Activity and lac production influenced by monsoon patterns in native range; larval development peaks during rainy seasons. In cultivation, brood lac is harvested seasonally, with specific timing varying by region and host plant phenology. Multiple generations per year possible in tropical climates.

Phytophagous; feeds on phloem sap of host plants. Specific host associations documented for cultivated species include Dalbergia obtusifolia, Ficus semicordata, Dalbergia szemaoensis, Pongamia pinnata, and various other woody plants.

• Dalbergia obtusifolia - host plantPrimary host for Kerria yunnanensis in Yunnan, China
• Ficus semicordata - host plantHost for Kerria yunnanensis
• Dalbergia szemaoensis - host plantHost for Kerria yunnanensis
• Pongamia pinnata - host plantHost for Paratachardina lobata in India
• Dalbergia cochinchinensis - host plantHost for Kerria nepalensis in China
• Adenostoma sp. - host plantHost for Tachardiella sp. in California
• Annona squamosa - host plantHost for Kerria destructor in India
• Peltophorum pterocarpum - host plantHost for Kerria destructor in India

Hemimetabolous development with incomplete metamorphosis. Females produce eggs or live young (ovoviviparity in some species). First-instar larvae (crawlers) are mobile and disperse to new feeding sites; subsequent instars become sessile and secrete lac. Males develop through prepupal and pupal stages within lac cells. Brood lac contains developing larvae used for inoculation of new host trees in cultivation.

Adult females form dense aggregations on host branches, facilitating lac harvest. Produce honeydew that attracts ant mutualists; ant attendance provides protection against parasitoids and predators. Some ant species construct protective shelters over lac insect colonies. Colonial aggregation behavior enhances lac resin production and reduces individual desiccation risk.

Primary consumers in plant-based food webs; serve as hosts for diverse parasitoid communities including encyrtids (Tachardiaephagus, Ooencyrtus), eulophids (Aprostocetus), and aphelinids (Coccophagus, Marietta). Mutualism with ants creates complex multi-species interactions. Cultivated species support organic agroecosystems where pesticide use is restricted. Invasive species (e.g., Paratachardina lobata in Florida) threaten native and economic plants.

Source of commercial lac and shellac, with annual production valued at approximately US$92 million in China alone. Lac used in food glazes, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, wood finishes, and traditional dyes. Cultivation provides rural livelihoods in South and Southeast Asia. Some species are invasive pests requiring biological control; parasitoid wasps from native ranges have been evaluated and released for control of invasive populations.

• Coccidae (soft scales)Also produce waxy coverings but lack the distinctive hard lac resin secretion; honeydew production differs
• Diaspididae (armored scales)Produce hard protective coverings (tests) but from exuviae and wax, not resinous lac; tests are separable from body
• Pseudococcidae (mealybugs)Produce powdery wax but remain mobile as adults; lack sessile habit and lac resin production

• scale insects
• lac production
• shellac
• commercial insects
• invasive pest
• mutualism
• ants
• parasitoids
• biological control
• agroecosystem
• tropical agriculture
• forest pest

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• Catalogue of Life
• Publications | Entomology Research Museum
• HOST ACCEPTANCE TRIALS OF KERRIA LACCA (KERRIIDAE) PARASITOIDS FROM NORTHERN THAILAND ON THE PEST LOBATE LAC SCALE (PARATACHARDINA LOBATA) (KERRIIDAE)
• Multiple Ant Species Tending Lac Insect Kerria yunnanensis (Hemiptera: Kerriidae) Provide Asymmetric Protection against Parasitoids
• A review of Tachardiobius (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), with description of a new species from California, USA, a parasitoid of Tachardiella spp. (Hemiptera: Kerriidae)
• First record of the lac-producing species Kerria nepalensis Varshney (Hemiptera, Kerriidae) from China, with a key to Chinese species
• A new species ofCoccophagus(Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a parasitoid of lac insects (Hemiptera: Kerriidae) in Indonesia and Malaysia
• First record of Tachardiaephagus tachardiae (Howard, 1896) (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Encyrtidae) from an invasive Lac insect, Kerria destructor Talukder and Das, 2020 (Hemiptera, Kerriidae)
• Parasitoids of Paratachardina lobata (Hem., Kerriidae): surveys for biological control of the invasive lobate lac scale
• HOST ACCEPTANCE TRIALS OF PARASITOIDS FROM INDIAN PARATACHARDINA LOBATA (HEMIPTERA: KERRIIDAE) ON THE INVASIVE LOBATE LAC SCALE IN FLORIDA
• Production and export of the parasitoid Tachardiaephagus somervilli (Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae), a biological control agent for the yellow lac scale, Tachardina aurantiaca (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Kerriidae)