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Scale: Thorn mimic.

Adult female has a hardened, thorn shaped test. Up to 17mm tall. Footprint radius 10mm. Crawlers about 0.8mm. Found on Acacia schweinfurthii. Tended to by ants, probably Pheidole (Correction: They are Lepisiota. Thanks, Peter Slingsby) The ants stimulate the scale and she produces a drop of honeydew through a long tube. Ants collect the drops much like like picking a berry, then move off to imbibe it. Crawlers are now emerging from the dead and dried test, presumably having overwintered as eggs? Crawlers (1st instars?) ar quite mobile, but are also distributed nt the ants. Second instars appear to be sessile and have started secreting a test and are already producing honeydew.