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Aulacaspis yasumatsui
cycad aulacaspis scale, cycad scale, sago palm scale, Asian cycad scale
Aulacaspis yasumatsui is a highly destructive armored scale insect native to Southeast Asia that has become a globally invasive pest of cycads. First described from Thailand in 1977, it was detected in Florida in 1996 and has since spread to numerous countries across six continents, causing widespread mortality of ornamental and native cycad populations. The species exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism in body form and produces multiple generations annually in warm climates, with populations capable of reaching densities that completely encrust host fronds and ultimately kill the plant through depletion of photosynthetic tissue and nonstructural carbohydrates.