Root-pests
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Margarodes
Cyst-forming Coccids, Ground Pearls
Margarodes is a genus of scale insects in the family Margarodidae, commonly known as "ground pearls" for the waxy, pearl-like cysts formed by immature stages in soil. The genus was erected in 1828 by Lansdown Guilding based on specimens found in soil on the Bahamas associated with ants. Members of this genus are subterranean for much of their life cycle, feeding on plant roots. The type species is Margarodes formicarum.