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iNat·68693FamilyInsecta919 field observations
  1. Animals
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  6. ›True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies
  7. ›Plant-parasitic Hemipterans
  8. ›Scale Insects
Lac Scales
Plate 1 of 7. (c) M Kriek, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by M Kriek · via iNaturalist

Lac Scales

Kerriidae

Kerriidae is a family of scale insects, commonly known as lac insects or lac scales. Some members of the genera Metatachardia, Tachardiella, Austrotacharidia, Afrotachardina, Tachardina, and Kerria are raised for commercial purposes, though the most commonly cultivated species is Kerria lacca. These insects secrete a waxy resin that is harvested and converted commercially into lac and shellac, used in various dyes, cosmetics, food glazes, wood finishing varnishes and polishes.

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6 branches of this family, most-observed first

Tachardiella

genusTachardiella

Paratachardina

genusParatachardina

Tachardina

genusTachardina

Austrotachardia

genusAustrotachardia

Kerria

genusKerria

Tachardia

genusTachardia

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Where it lives

Recorded sightings

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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.

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In the stacks

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Every page naming Kerriidae in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →

This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 68693.