Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink, here
called the papaya mealybug, was first detected in the United
States in Hollywood, Florida in 1998. By the end of 1998 it was
found in four localities in the state and has since spread to
nine localities in five counties. This mealybug appears to have
moved through the Caribbean area since its 1994 detection in the
Dominican Republic. The pest is reported to cause serious damage
to tropical fruit, especially papaya, and has been detected most
frequently, in Florida, on hibiscus. It is now known from
Antigua, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Mexico, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Barthelemy, St.
Kitts, St. Martin, and the US Virgin Islands. Hosts include:
Acacia sp.(Luguminosae), Acalypha sp.(Euphorbiaceae), Ambrosia
cumanensis (Compositae), Annona squamosa (Annonaceae), Carica
papaya (Caricaceae), Guazuma ulmifolia (Sterculiaccea), Hibiscus
rosa-sinensis (Euphorbiaceae), Hibiscus sp. (Euphorbiaceae),
Ipomoea sp. (Convolvulaceae), Ma