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California PCA Exam Helper: Pest Identification

Category A, State Licensing Exams

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Insects, Mites, and Other Invertebrates

The list includes all the arthropods and mollusks contained in the knowledge expectations for the Category A California PCA licensing exam.

Remember, in addition to knowing these organisms, there are many other knowledge expectations for this exam. Get the complete list of knowledge expectations from DPR.

In order to prepare for this exam you will need to be able to

  • identify the listed arthropods to class, order, and family when given a name, specimen or photo of adult or immature forms. You will not be required to distinguish between species in the same family. For example, you do not need to recognize differences between the pear rust mite and the tomato russet mite, but you do need to be able to distinguish the pear rust mite and the citrus red mite (different families).
  • know Latin names for class, order, and a combination of common and Latin name for family
  • for each class and family, understand their
    • mouthparts and food habits
    • biology and life cycle
    • metamorphosis
    • significance as a pest or natural enemy
    • damage symptoms

Each organism is linked to pages within the UC IPM Web site that contain information and photos to help you identify the organism and understand the basic biological and management information specified in the knowledge expectations. For some organisms, a number of links are available. If they are pests in several crops, we list links to the UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for crops where the pest is most important. Some pests which are also pests in homes, gardens, and landscapes are linked to Pest Notes.

Phylum/Class Order Family Species Photos, Descriptions, and Management Information
PHYLUM MOLLUSCA
CLASS GASTROPODA - Slugs and snails
  brown garden snail pest note
in citrus
in avocado
in artichoke
  gray garden slug pest note
  decollate snail  
PHYLUM ARTHROPODA
CLASS CRUSTACEA
  ORDER ISOPODA - Sowbugs and pillbugs in alfalfa
CLASS DIPLOPODA - Millipedes pest note
CLASS CHILOPODA -Centipedes pest note
CLASS SYMPHYLA
  ORDER SYMPHYLA - Symphylans
  garden symphylan in tomato
in strawberry
in lettuce
in cole crops
in asparagus
CLASS ARACHNIDA
  ORDER ARANEAE - Spiders pest note
  ORDER ACARI - Mites and Ticks  
  Family Eriophyiidae - Eriophyiid mites  
  pear rust mite in pear
  tomato russet mite in tomato
  citrus bud mite in citrus
  peach silver mite in peach
in nectarine
  Family Ixodidae - Hardbacked ticks general information
  Family Phytoseiidae - Phytoseiid predatory mites  
  western predatory mite  
  Phytoseiulus persimilis  
  Family Tetranychidae - Spider mites pest note
  citrus red mite in citrus
  European red mite in deciduous fruit and nut trees
  Pacific spider mite in dry beans
in walnut
in cotton
more crops
  twospotted spider mite in plum
in corn
more crops
CLASS INSECTA
  ORDER THYSANURA - Bristletails/silverfish and firebrats pest note
  ORDER COLLEMBOLA - Springtails in lettuce
  ORDER ODONATA - Dragonflies  
  ORDER ORTHOPTERA - Grasshoppers, katydids, crickets  
  Family Acrididae - Grasshoppers pest note
in sugarbeets
in cotton
in grains
in corn
in cucurbits
  Family Tettigoniidae - Katydids in citrus
in nectarine & peach
  ORDER BLATTODEA - Cockroaches  
  Family Blattidae - Oriental and American cockroaches pest note
  ORDER MANTODEA - Mantids  
  Family Mantidae - Mantids  
  ORDER DERMAPTERA - Earwigs pest note
in strawberry
in cherry
in apricot
in cucurbits
  ORDER ISOPTERA - Termites pest note
  ORDER THYSANOPTERA - Thrips pest note
  Family Thripidae - Common thrips  
  citrus thrips in citrus
  western flower thrips in nectarine
in strawberry
in olive
more crops
  greenhouse thrips in citrus
in avocado
in floriculture & nurseries
  sixspotted thrips  
  ORDER HEMIPTERA (HETEROPTERA)- True-bugs  
  Family Anthocoridae  
  minute pirate bugs  
  Family Coreidae - Leaffooted bugs  
  squash bug in cucurbits
  Family Lygaeidae - Chinch bugs  
  bigeyed bug  
  false chinch bug in pistachio
in grape
in cucurbits
in cotton
in avocado
  Family Miridae - Plant bugs  
  western tarnished plant bug (lygus bug) in strawberry
in cotton
in apple
in celery
more crops
  Family Nabidae - Damsel bugs  
  Family Pentatomidae - Stink bugs  
  consperse stink bug in tomato
in peach & nectarine
in apple & pear
in cotton
more crops
  Family Reduviidae - Assassin bugs pest note
  Family Tingidae - Lace bugs pest note
  ORDER HOMOPTERA - Aphids, scale insects, leafhoppers, treehoppers, and others  
  Family Aleyrodidae - Whiteflies pest note
  greenhouse whitefly in floriculture & nurseries
in greenhouses
in tomato
in strawberry
more crops
  citrus whitefly in citrus
in greenhouses
  silverleaf whitefly in floriculture & nurseries
in greenhouses
in potato
in cotton
more crops
  ash whitefly in citrus
  Family Aphididae - Aphids pest note
  cabbage aphid in cole crops
  green peach aphid in various crops
  pea aphid in alfalfa
in dry beans
in artichoke
  cotton/melon aphid in various crops
  rosy apple aphid in apple
  potato aphid in various crops
  lettuce root aphid in lettuce
  woolly apple aphid in apple
  spotted alfalfa aphid in alfalfa
  Family Cercopidae - Spittlebugs or froghoppers  
  Family Cicadellidae - Leafhoppers  
  apple leafhopper in caneberries
in apple
  potato leafhopper in potato
in citrus
in cotton
in dry beans
  beet leafhopper in tomato
in sugarbeet
  western grape leafhopper in grape
  variegated leafhopper in grape
  Family Cicadidae - Cicadas  
  Family Coccidae - Soft scales pest note
  brown soft scale in citrus
in floriculture & nurseries
in pistachio
in avocado
  black scale in olive
in citrus
in floriculture & nurseries
in pistachios
  citricola scale in citrus
  Family Diaspididae - Armored scales pest note
  oystershell scale in floriculture & nurseries
  California red scale in citrus
in olive
in avocado
in floriculture & nurseries
  San Jose scale in peach & nectarine
in plum & prune
in pear
in almond
other deciduous fruit and nut trees
  walnut scale in walnut
  Family Margarodidae  
  cottony cushion scale pest note
in citrus
  Family Membracidae - Treehoppers  
  Family Phylloxeridae - Phylloxera  
  grape phylloxera in grape
  Family Pseudococcidae - Mealybugs  
  grape mealybug in grape
in pear
  citrus mealybug in citrus
  obscure mealybug in grape
in pear
  Family Psyllidae - Jumping plantlice (psyllids) pest note
  pear psylla in pear
  potato psyllid in potato
  blue gum psyllid  
  ORDER NEUROPTERA - Lacewings  
  Family Chrysopidae - Green lacewings  
  Family Hemerobiidae - Brown lacewings  
  ORDER LEPIDOPTERA - Butterflies and moths  
  Family Gelechiidae - Gelechiid moths  
  peach twig borer in peach
this information applies to most other stone fruits and nuts
  tomato pinworm in tomato
  pink bollworm in cotton
  potato tuberworm in potato
in tomato
  Family Geometridae - Measuring worm moths  
  fall cankerworm in prune & plum
in pear
  Family Lymantridae - Tussock moths  
  gypsy moth exotic pest
  western tussock moth in prune & plum
in citrus
in pistachio
in apricot
more crops
  Family Noctuidae - Noctuid moths (cutworms)  
  cabbage looper in cole crops
in floriculture & nurseries
in strawberry
in cucurbits
more crops
  cutworms in tomato
in plum
in sugarbeet
in strawberry
more crops
  tobacco budworm in cotton
in lettuce
  alfalfa looper in dry beans
in tomato
in lettuce
in cotton
in artichoke
  corn earworm/tomato fruitworm/cotton bollworm in corn
in tomato
in cotton
in strawberry
more crops
  beet armyworm in sugarbeet
in alfalfa
in cole crops
in corn
more crops
  western yellowstriped armyworm in alfalfa
in corn
in peppers
in cotton
more crops
  Family Pieridae - Sulfur butterflies  
  alfalfa caterpillar in alfalfa
  imported cabbageworm in cole crops
  Family Pyralidae - Snout moths  
  navel orangeworm in walnut
in almond
in pistachio
in fig
  Family Sesiidae - Clearwing moths pest note
  peachtree borer in peach & nectarine
in apricot
more crops (all stone fruits)
  ash borer pest note
  Family Sphingidae - Sphinx moths  
  tobacco/tomato hornworm in tomato
  Family Tortricidae - Tortricid moths (leafrollers)  
  codling moth pest note
in apple & pear
in walnut
in plum & prune
  oriental fruit moth in peach & nectarine
in almond
  fruittree leafroller pest note
in almond
in citrus
more tree crops
  omnivorous leafroller in peach & nectarine
in grape
in peppers
in pear
more crops
  spruce budworm  
  orange tortrix in plum & prune
in grape
in apricot
in citrus
more crops
  ORDER COLEOPTERA - Beetles and weevils  
  Family Buprestidae - Metallic wood borers  
  Pacific flatheaded borer in walnut
in plum & prune
in peach & nectarine
this information applies to other fruit tree crops
  Family Cerambycidae - Longhorned beetles  
  eucalyptus longhorned borer pest note
  Family Chrysomelidae - Leaf beetles  
  elm leaf beetle pest note
  asparagus beetle in asparagus
  western spotted cucumber beetles in cucurbits
in corn
in dry beans
  tobacco flea beetle in tomato
in cucurbits
  Family Coccinellidae - Lady beetles  
  twicestabbed lady beetle  
  mealybug destroyer  
  convergent lady beetle  
  vedalia beetle  
  Family Curculionidae - Weevils and snout beetles  
  Egyptian alfalfa weevil in alfalfa
  rice water weevil in rice
  Family Elateridae - Click beetles (wireworms) in grape
in corn
in potato
in spinach
more crops
  Family Scarabaeidae - Scarab beetles (May or June beetles)  
  white grubs (masked chafters) in turfgrass
  Japanese beetle exotic pest
  Family Scolytidae - Bark beetles pest note
  western pine beetle pest note
  fir engravers pest note
  elm bark beetle pest note
  shothole borer pest note
in plum & prune
in apricot
in cherry
  Family Tenebrionidae - Darkling beetles in dry beans
in lettuce
more crops
  confused flour beetle pest note
  ORDER DIPTERA - Flies, mosquitoes, gnats, midges  
  Family Agromyzidae - Leafminers  
  serpentine leafminer (Liriomyza sp.) in cucurbits
in celery
in floriculture & nurseries
in lettuce
  Family Anthomyiidae - Root maggot flies  
  cabbage maggot in cole crops
  seedcorn maggot in corn
in colecrops
in dry beans
in cucurbits
more crops
  Family Cecidomyiidae - Gall midges/Predaceous midges  
  Aphidoletes  
  Family Culicidae - Mosquitoes pest note
  Family Muscidae - House fly pest note
  Family Syrphidae - Syrphid or flower flies  
  Family Tachinidae - Tachinid flies  
  Family Tephritidae - Fruit flies  
  apple maggot in apple
in pear
  walnut husk fly pest note
in walnut
  Mediterranean fruit fly exotic pest
  ORDER HYMENOPTERA - Bees, wasps, ants, sawflies, parasitoids  
  Family Aphelinidae - parasitoid wasps  
  Aphytis melinus  
  Encarsiaformosa  
 

Family Aphidiidae - parasitoid wasps

  Trioxys pallidus  
 

Family Apidae - Honey bees, bumble bees

 
 

Family Braconidae - Braconid wasps

 
  Family Chalcididae - Chalcidid wasps  
  Family Formicidae - Ants pest note
  Argentine ant in citrus
  southern fire ant in almond
in citrus
  carpenter ants pest note
  Family Ichneumonidae - Ichneumon wasps  
  Hyposoter spp.  
  Family Tenthredinidae - Sawflies  
  California pear sawfly in pear
  purslane sawfly on purslane
  Family Trichogrammatidae - Trichogrammatid wasps  
  Family Vespidae - Paper wasps and yellowjackets pest note

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