Trabutina mannipara

Trabutina mannipara, or mana scale, is a species of mealybug found in the Middle East and southern Europe.[1][2] It is the most well-known of the five species in the genus Trabutina, of which it is the type species,[3] due to its association with the biblical story of manna.[4] T. mannipara feeds parasitically on tamarisk trees, and excretes a sweet substance which is sometimes collected for human consumption.[5] Obsolete terms for it include Coccus manniparus and Trabutina palestina.[lower-alpha 1] This species can be found in the Sinai[7] and Iraq.[8]

It was described in 1829 by Hemprich and Ehrenberg (as Coccus manniparus),[9] after investigation in the Sinai mountains.[10] Ehrenberg believed that the bite wounds in the tamarisk plant created as the insects fed on the plant caused a sweet sticky substance known locally as "manna", and which Ehrenberg associated with the biblical manna, to flow out of the plant.[5] In 1929, F. S. Bodenheimer found that the manna was in fact produced by the insects themselves,[5] and argued that the description of the sticky substance and its geographical region argued in favor of Ehrenberg's identification with the biblical manna.[11] The identification with biblical manna continues to appear in more recent literature.[12]

T. mannipara, like other mealybugs, is parasitic on plants, and in its excretions is a great deal of undigested material.[13] In the case of mannipara, these excretions are high in sugar.[13]

In the United States, where tamarisks are invasive species, T. mannipara has been tested for possible use in controlling tamarisks.[14]