Kerria lacca

Kerria lacca
Drawing of the insect Kerria lacca and its lac tubes, by Harold Maxwell-Lefroy, 1909
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
Family: Kerriidae
Genus: Kerria
Species:
K. lacca
Binomial name
Kerria lacca
(Kerr, 1782)
Synonyms
  • Coccus lacca Kerr, 1782
  • Coccus ficus Fabricius, 1787
  • Chermes lacca Roxburgh, 1791
  • Carteria lacca Signoret, 1874
  • Lakshadia indica Mahdihassan, 1923
  • Tachardia lacca Chamberlin, 1923
  • Laccifer lacca Cockerell, 1924
Lac tubes created by Kerria lacca

Kerria lacca is a species of insect in the family Kerriidae, the lac insects. These are in the superfamily Coccoidea, the scale insects. This species is perhaps the most commercially important lac insect, being a main source of lac, a resin which can be refined into shellac and other products.[1] This insect is native to Asia.[2]