In which year was the cottony cushion scale first described?

In which year was the cottony cushion scale first described?

• A. 1890
• B. 1878
• C. 1840
• D. 1902

Answer: (A)

Understanding what “first described” means in taxonomy helps here. It refers to the year when the species was formally named and described in a published scientific work, with a diagnostic description and a type specimen designated. For the cottony cushion scale, that formal description appears in 1890, establishing its official scientific record. The pest status and recognition as a problem in agriculture came later, but the year of the formal taxonomic description is 1890. The other years don’t align with the published description that gave the species its name.

Understanding what “first described” means in taxonomy helps here. It refers to the year when the species was formally named and described in a published scientific work, with a diagnostic description and a type specimen designated. For the cottony cushion scale, that formal description appears in 1890, establishing its official scientific record. The pest status and recognition as a problem in agriculture came later, but the year of the formal taxonomic description is 1890. The other years don’t align with the published description that gave the species its name.