[2] Parlatoria blanchardi is thought to originate from Mesopotamia but has spread to many other tropical and subtropical regions.

It occurs in North Africa, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, Italy, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and India.

[2] This scale insect is largely a pest of palm trees, but has been recorded on ten genera in four plant families.

Infestations tend to be concentrated in the crown and leaves, with the succulent tissues at the base of the leafstalks being particularly badly affected.

[4] The insects may be seen on the leaflets where they form little patches of dead tissue, but most remain undetected under the sheathing leaf stalks.